Fixture 2025 Fixture

[El_Scorcho]

What’s wrong with Saturday twilight games?

The sun is in my eyes for the entire ****ing game. Also it makes it difficult to do either an afternoon thing before the footy or a night thing after the footy

 

[PAFC66]

The sun is in my eyes for the entire ****ing game. Also it makes it difficult to do either an afternoon thing before the footy or a night thing after the footy

It's also the lowest attended games for us

 

[jdeezy]

Honestly, the fixture is fitting for us in a "you get what you deserve you spineless losers" type lens, but holy hell the first year of the media rights deal that is the new norm is "we're not even trying to hide we're the VFL and we only care about "big Melbourne clubs".

• No primetime games in SA outside of the weekend they have to (and even the biggest timeslot there doesn't even have an SA team).
• No primetime games in NSW after "opening round"
• Any time there's a public holiday in a Monday they've attempted to shoehorn in a "this will be considered a traditional game soon" "blockbuster" but every one is some combination of Victorian drivel
• "Hawthorn play exciting footy so they get a bunch of primetime games" but GWS who have played a similar style for longer don't even get one token primetime appearance
• 1 Thursday, 0 Friday for Port
• 1 Thursday, 1 Friday for Adelaide
• 0 Thursday, 1 Friday for Sydney
• 0 Thursday or Friday for GWS
• 1 Thursday, 0 Friday for GC

Are someone like KFC going to renew with us or just move on to the two other clubs they have in their pockets where their branding will actually be seen?

If the national clubs had any balls they'd stand up to this but they're all AFL controlled and/or just losers in general. West Coast might be the only one with pull and they've got their own issues. Richardson will just sit there and take it like a good little stooge.

 

[Festerz]

To add to that, the new cba probably allows the broadcasters more choice in what they want.

This will just promote a 2 tiered schedule.

Just what the afl needs.

Yep. The new broadcast rights deal that kicks in from next year is definitely playing the major role here imho.

For example, Seven and their 7+ digital platform have the broadcast rights for all Thursday night games but there will be no FTA games on Saturday for the first 8 weeks of the season - with Foxtel/Kayo having the exclusive rights for them.

The AFL will refuse to admit it but I'm certain that having forked out $4.5 Billion for the broadcast rights through to the end of 2031, representatives from their broadcast partners would have been sitting in the room when the first 15 game schedule was finalised. Their goal would be to maximise anticipated viewing numbers for the key rating times in each geographical market. That, more than equity considerations and more than past performance, is what is at work here.

Again imho, the schedule released yesterday gives a view into Seven and Foxtel's thinking of which teams and match ups will rate and which won't. The reality being that Port are clearly not viewed as being a likely ratings winner in 2025.

The mug supporters who fork out hundreds of their hard earned to go to the games every week just ain't a consideration any more.


As you rightly surmise - a two tiered schedule is what is the result with Port relegated to the second tier. And this will keep happening over the next seven years if no one in the Port hierarchy stands up and calls it out for what it is.

Which reminds me - has Port members' representative Warren Tredrea had anything to say about this?

 

[jac147]

What’s wrong with Saturday twilight games?


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Over the years of filling out fan’s surveys from the club one of main concerns have finally been seen to - that is too many Saturday night games. I hate them, often cold and wet. Saturday arvo & twi light are fine by me - bring it on!!
Let’s hope the club follow up on my two other major concerns - Ken Hinkley and that girl who does pre game and quarter break announcing over the stadium PA system. Her screeching makes my brain nearly explode. Don’t they hear her?

 

[Festerz]

that girl who does pre game and quarter break announcing over the stadium PA system. Her screeching makes my brain nearly explode. Don’t they hear her?

Hear Hear!

And to answer your question - the Board and management are too busy sipping wine and eating canapés in their cloistered hospitality suites during game breaks so no they don't hear her. Nor do they GAF.

 

[TeeKray]

Over the years of filling out fan’s surveys from the club one of main concerns have finally been seen to - that is too many Saturday night games. I hate them, often cold and wet. Saturday arvo & twi light are fine by me - bring it on!!

Richo actually said he's disappointed we didn't get many Saturday night games as it's the preferred timeslot of our fans.

 

[68vette]

Richo saying 10 of our first 14 games are on free to air.

Assuming Collingwood (R1), Richmond (R2), North Melbourne (R7) and Footscray (R8) are the Foxtel games.

 

[WillemDaDrew]

Our Anzac Saturday twilight clash against Norf is rather uninspiring.

 

[JimmyBC]

Our Anzac Saturday twilight clash against Norf is rather uninspiring.

Kick in the teeth for sure may as well play South Adelaide.

 

[PAFC66]

Maybe that's what you get for hosting gather round.
**** it off asap

 

[PAFC66]

Our Anzac Saturday twilight clash against Norf is rather uninspiring.

Free tickets for that one

 

[PAFC66]

Yep. The new broadcast rights deal that kicks in from next year is definitely playing the major role here imho.

For example, Seven and their 7+ digital platform have the broadcast rights for all Thursday night games but there will be no FTA games on Saturday for the first 8 weeks of the season - with Foxtel/Kayo having the exclusive rights for them.

The AFL will refuse to admit it but I'm certain that having forked out $4.5 Billion for the broadcast rights through to the end of 2031, representatives from their broadcast partners would have been sitting in the room when the first 15 game schedule was finalised. Their goal would be to maximise anticipated viewing numbers for the key rating times in each geographical market. That, more than equity considerations and more than past performance, is what is at work here.

Again imho, the schedule released yesterday gives a view into Seven and Foxtel's thinking of which teams and match ups will rate and which won't. The reality being that Port are clearly not viewed as being a likely ratings winner in 2025.

The mug supporters who fork out hundreds of their hard earned to go to the games every week just ain't a consideration any more.


As you rightly surmise - a two tiered schedule is what is the result with Port relegated to the second tier. And this will keep happening over the next seven years if no one in the Port hierarchy stands up and calls it out for what it is.

Which reminds me - has Port members' representative Warren Tredrea had anything to say about this?

Warren is too invested in U.S politics than anything else. Make polio great again.

 

[PAFC66]

And our piece of shit soft club barely says a thing.

 

[SureBuddy]

Ehhhhh, we are terrible in the prime time night games anyway. Actually a positive for us.

 

[PAFC66]

Ehhhhh, we are terrible in the prime time night games anyway. Actually a positive for us.

Atleast it means we won't be exposed in a shit year.

 

[Coobk001]

Ehhhhh, we are terrible in the prime time night games anyway. Actually a positive for us.

Our Friday night record at home is far better than our Saturday night record.

 

[Coobk001]

And our piece of shit soft club barely says a thing.

View attachment 2165798

The one positive of this is that the list isn't terribly unbalanced. For us to be the complete outlier in terms of Friday nights given our finish is a real disappointment.

Hard to believe how badly we've been screwed over.

We need Hinkley to be sacked, get some new excitement and motivation rolling.

 

[TeeKray]

It's funny because we had more than our fair share of Thursday/Friday night games this year so we've gone from lots to basically none for no apparent reason.

 

[Grave Danger]

It's funny because we had more than our fair share of Thursday/Friday night games this year so we've gone from lots to basically none for no apparent reason.

I wonder what the tv ratings were for those games...

 

[PAFC66]

It's funny because we had more than our fair share of Thursday/Friday night games this year so we've gone from lots to basically none for no apparent reason.

They've looked at our ratings this year. They've probably been shit.
They figure we host gather round so can't ask for anything more
We are known not to complain so it's easy

 

[JimmyBC]

Maybe that's what you get for hosting gather round.
**** it off asap

Nah Adelaide got a decent fixture. Aside from being cucks we've pissed off AFL house somehow.

 

[Nelso]

On a positive note our new coach in 2026 should have a nice easy draw.

 

[Willsy10]

It's also the lowest attended games for us

You got any stats to back this up or are you just shooting from the hip as per usual?

I would've thought it would be far from our least popular slot, maybe it has had more to do with who our opponents have been in these games.

It's annoying from a commercial sense our lack of Friday and Sat night games but i think the lack of thursday night is a good thing, i reckon some of those games we've had in the past in the middle of winter have been poorly attended but overall Sunday arvo/night would have to be the worst.

Thursday and Sunday nights are good to watch on TV but make it pretty difficult to attend for country or family members, there seem to be far less excuses for Saturday twilight.

 

[68vette]

Maybe we will see a Friday night game or two in the the rounds 16-24. One can only hope.

I do like having a feed at the Blue and White cafe in North Adelaide before a Friday night game and then having the rest of the weekend free.