Too early for lower league footy fans?

[simac21]

Midweek fixtures need a freshen up, in other countries they kick off around 5pm which would mean during school term kids can still go without it being a late night, game finished by 7 means travelling back you won't get back at early hours of morning! I think we should try either a 5pm or 6pm kick off

 

[C V Shrimper]

Midweek fixtures need a freshen up, in other countries they kick off around 5pm which would mean during school term kids can still go without it being a late night, game finished by 7 means travelling back you won't get back at early hours of morning! I think we should try either a 5pm or 6pm kick off

You might get loads of kids there, but not us adults who work!

 

[Feathers]

I read somewhere that the Football League have deliberately attempted to put local matches on a Saturday this year. I for one applaud this. Nothing more soul destroying than finding you have a plum away fixture on a Tuesday. I'd say you'll gain more from having the big games on the weekends than lose by making the long treks on a Tuesday. Yes, the fans who go everywhere will have to take a couple of days off work but the bigger picture does make sense.

Plus teams won't often have pay out for an overnight stay if it's a midweek game.

From a purely selfish point of view I agree. I am highly unlikley to go to the long distance games whether they are on a Saturday or Tuesday. I work in London and places like Gillingham and Peterborough are difficult to get to and home again midweek but easy on a Saturday.

I can't be the only one in this position and I suspect by playing local games on a Saturday overall away attendances will be up.

 

[Feathers]

Midweek fixtures need a freshen up, in other countries they kick off around 5pm which would mean during school term kids can still go without it being a late night, game finished by 7 means travelling back you won't get back at early hours of morning! I think we should try either a 5pm or 6pm kick off

Other countries have different working hours too. I woudn't even make eveing home games let alone away games. Gate reciepts would be dramatically down if you moved the kick off times forward to 5pm or 6pm

 

[spoons]

Bradford had 17400+ last night, not bad for a team at the bottom of the league and winless:happy:
Clubs are punished with midweek fixtures, Carlisle travelled to Plymouth last night, Torquay had to travel to Wrexham last week in an evening game. Surely long trips like those should be Saturday fixtures.
I suspect that most clubs don't care if away fans turn up as less work for them with stewarding etc.

 

[Tommy2holes]

I think last time out in this league when we're relegated we average a gate of around 8k. Unfortunately a lot of fans were put off by the management of the club.

If we bring in some more players and do well we will see bums on seats. Simple as

 

[maninasuitcase]

I read somewhere that the Football League have deliberately attempted to put local matches on a Saturday this year. I for one applaud this. Nothing more soul destroying than finding you have a plum away fixture on a Tuesday. I'd say you'll gain more from having the big games on the weekends than lose by making the long treks on a Tuesday. Yes, the fans who go everywhere will have to take a couple of days off work but the bigger picture does make sense.



Plus teams won't often have pay out for an overnight stay if it's a midweek game.

The opposite of the last few seasons where the furthest away matches were on a Saturday so more people could travel without taking time off work.

 

[shrimperjon]

Bradford had 17400+ last night, not bad for a team at the bottom of the league and winless:happy:
Clubs are punished with midweek fixtures, Carlisle travelled to Plymouth last night, Torquay had to travel to Wrexham last week in an evening game. Surely long trips like those should be Saturday fixtures.
I suspect that most clubs don't care if away fans turn up as less work for them with stewarding etc.

A majority of those are season ticket holders as they do that really cheap ST. Wonder how many Gills fans made the trip

 

[tottenham541]

Midweek fixtures need a freshen up, in other countries they kick off around 5pm which would mean during school term kids can still go without it being a late night, game finished by 7 means travelling back you won't get back at early hours of morning! I think we should try either a 5pm or 6pm kick off

do that then the crowds will go down by at least 2,000 fans maybe more, in other countries they finish their working day a lot earlier than us so it makes sense for them to do this, over here all over the country it would never work.

 

[Jam_Man]

Bradford had 17400+ last night, not bad for a team at the bottom of the league and winless:happy:
Clubs are punished with midweek fixtures, Carlisle travelled to Plymouth last night, Torquay had to travel to Wrexham last week in an evening game. Surely long trips like those should be Saturday fixtures.
I suspect that most clubs don't care if away fans turn up as less work for them with stewarding etc.

On one hand that makes sense, but on the other if you assume even on a Saturday not many would make the trip it kind of also makes sense to write the long trips off and allow the closer games the chance to get the fans to travel.

For example, if we had to play Carlisle on a Saturday we would barely get any fans on a Saturday or Tuesday, so Id rather we played Col U and get more supporters and just put Carlisle on a Tuesday.

Not nice for those that travel to the long distance game but there is some logic to cater for the majority not the die hard minority.

 

[simac21]

I finish at 12 early kick off would suit me, if a local worker finished at 5 a kick off at 6 would be more appealing??

 

[Jim Levenstein]

A majority of those are season ticket holders as they do that really cheap ST. Wonder how many Gills fans made the trip

187 gills.

 

[C V Shrimper]

I finish at 12 early kick off would suit me, if a local worker finished at 5 a kick off at 6 would be more appealing??

Not for me, i have a 60 mile drive home every evening, 7.45 is sometimes pushing it, only takes one delay (A12 & A127 so a good chance) and I struggle.

 

[tottenham541]

I finish at 12 early kick off would suit me, if a local worker finished at 5 a kick off at 6 would be more appealing??

Not if in London working and you don't get out until 5.30pm like a lot do, given the fact you can't count on trains either people just wouldn't bother:omg:

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

The other option (which I am not in favour of by the way) is to largely do away with Tuesdays by cutting the size of each league to something like 20 - it would be possible to create another league as a result.

What I would like to see is the return of F.A. Cup replays ......... ah! more games I hear you say but it also gives a much bigger incentive for a team to go "all out" and win the game at the first attempt rather than do it all again 10 days later.

What about the European football you say interfering with mid-week F.A. Cup replays? What about it I say ......... that's a decision that the teams involved have to consider when they have a squad of 30+ players ........

 

[Feathers]

I finish at 12 early kick off would suit me, if a local worker finished at 5 a kick off at 6 would be more appealing??

How many Southend fans work locally though. Many work in London or travel in from Billericay, Wickford Basildon etc. Like many people I consider myself extremely lucky if I am out of the office for anywhere remotely near 5PM.

Evening kicks were put back from 7.30PM to 7.45PM a few years ago to allow people more time.

You maybe in the minority where an early kick off suits but for the vast majority it would not and attendances would be decimated.

 

[dannyboy25]

How many Southend fans work locally though. Many work in London or travel in from Billericay, Wickford Basildon etc. Like many people I consider myself extremely lucky if I am out of the office for anywhere remotely near 5PM.

Evening kicks were put back from 7.30PM to 7.45PM a few years ago to allow people more time.

You maybe in the minority where an early kick off suits but for the vast majority it would not and attendances would be decimated.

100 % this.

 

[C V Shrimper]

Personally i would prefer 8.00 kick off, meaning not such a rush to get there, but obviously not everyone would like that, you can't please everyone.

 

[Jonny_Stokes]

The other option (which I am not in favour of by the way) is to largely do away with Tuesdays by cutting the size of each league to something like 20 - it would be possible to create another league as a result.

What I would like to see is the return of F.A. Cup replays ......... ah! more games I hear you say but it also gives a much bigger incentive for a team to go "all out" and win the game at the first attempt rather than do it all again 10 days later.

What about the European football you say interfering with mid-week F.A. Cup replays? What about it I say ......... that's a decision that the teams involved have to consider when they have a squad of 30+ players ........

Eh? Do you mean the return of infinite replays and no extra time/penalties after the, er, replay we have now?

Anyway, onto the meat of the subject, I'm inclined to support the longer away trips in midweek. Orient have three 'midweek buddies' (i.e. playing each other home and away on a Tuesday this season); Luton, Plymouth and Carlisle. The latter two are, on the face of it, ridiculous journeys to have to undertake on a Tuesday night. But the simple truth is that the majority of fans of any of the clubs are unlikely to be trekking to Plymouth/Carlisle or vice-versa on a Saturday anyway. We'll take, say, 140 to Plymouth on a Tuesday, but probably only would have taken 220 on a Saturday. However, Crawley on a Tuesday would be 600 or thereabouts, but on a Saturday would top 1,000. Sure, it's tough on the 'home and away, no matter what' lunatics, but it makes more sense for the clubs and the majority of fans to do it this way round.

As for attendances in general, some clubs have big drop-offs for midweek games (for whatever reason, Orient traditionally get around 1,000 less home fans for midweek games, let alone the smaller number of away fans), and some clubs just don't have very many fans in the first place (Accrington, Dagenham, Col Ewe).

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Eh? Do you mean the return of infinite replays and no extra time/penalties after the, er, replay we have now?

Yes please. :thumbsup: Or I would consider extra time as well as infinite replays ......... those were the days.