Easter Monday 2008 - 24th of March

[Dan26]

I just noticed that Easter Monday falls very early next year on the 24th of March. About the earliest I can ever remember, actually. So early, that it actually falls before round 1.

If the Grand Final next year falls on the traditional last Saturday of September (the 27th) and the H&A season goes for the usual 23 weeks (with the mid-season split round) it means round one will commence on Friday the 28th of March.

So, what will be done with Easter? Will it means two split rounds? I've noticed crowds are usually down over the Easter except for the holiday Monday which traditionally draws well. Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday seem to be the traditional "family" days.

I think the season should comence with one big game on Easter Monday (eg Essendon vs Carlton, or something similar), and then the remaining 7 games starting on Friday the 28th as per normal. I don't remember this situation ever cropping up before.

 

[Hawkk]

The perception that Easter Monday generally draws well is a bit of a myth IMO.

Over the last 6 years the fixture has drawn;

2002 – Hawthorn vs. Melbourne - 46,374
2003 – St.Kilda vs. Richmond - 44,382
2004 – St.Kilda vs. Richmond – 42,400
2005 – Collingwood vs. Bulldogs – 52,259
2006 – Kangaroos vs Collingwood – 48,721
2007 – Hawthorn vs Melbourne – 43,197

None of those crowds really stand out as out of the grain attendances when you compare it against a Friday Night or a good Saturday Afternoon fixture featuring the 2 sides.

If the AFL is serious about maximizing crowds and starting the season off with a bang, I’d begin the season like this…

Thursday Night

Collingwood vs Carlton - MCG

Good Friday

Essendon vs Richmond - MCG

Easter Saturday

Western Bulldogs vs Geelong - Telstra Dome

Saturday Night

Sydney vs West Coast - Telstra Stadium
Adelaide vs Brisbane - AAMI

Easter Sunday

Fremantle vs Port Adelaide - Subiaco

Sunday Night

St.Kilda vs Kangaroos - Telstra Dome

Easter Monday

Hawthorn vs Melbourne - MCG

Almost a monty to break the attendance record, without ruining rivalry round...

 

[souvo_fc]

The perception that Easter Monday generally draws well is a bit of a myth IMO.

Over the last 6 years the fixture has drawn;

2002 – Hawthorn vs. Melbourne - 46,000
2003 – St.Kilda vs. Richmond - 45,000
2004 – St.Kilda vs. Richmond – 41,000
2005 – Collingwood vs. Bulldogs – 52,000
2006 – Kangaroos vs Collingwood – 48,000
2007 – Hawthorn vs Melbourne – 43,000

None of those crowds really stand out as out of the grain attendances when you compare it against a Friday Night or a good Saturday Afternoon fixture featuring the 2 sides.

If the AFL is serious about maximizing crowds and starting the season off with a bang, I’d begin the season like this…

Thursday Night

Collingwood vs Carlton - MCG

Good Friday

Essendon vs Richmond - MCG

Easter Saturday

Western Bulldogs vs Geelong - Telstra Dome

Saturday Night

Sydney vs West Coast - Telstra Stadium
Adelaide vs Brisbane - AAMI

Easter Sunday

Fremantle vs Port Adelaide - Subiaco

Sunday Night

St.Kilda vs Kangaroos - Telstra Dome

Easter Monday

Hawthorn vs Melbourne - MCG

Almost a monty to break the attendance record, without ruining rivalry round...

its basically rivarly round.. and bugger giving the dons easter friday, they have anzac day already, why give em more

poor fixture in my mind

 

[Hawkk]

its basically rivarly round.. and bugger giving the dons easter friday, they have anzac day already, why give em more

poor fixture in my mind

What I like about it is that the the combination of sides is completely different to rivalry round this season, therefore the it gives the AFL the opportunity to have 2 cracks at the record attendance.

 

[FootyJunkie]

AFL will either ditch Easter Weekend or we'll get two split rounds.

 

[Dan26]

AFL will either ditch Easter Weekend or we'll get two split rounds.

They won'y ditch Easter. Well, not completely anyway. I still think they'll use the holiday Monday.

Hawkk, those games on EM in recent years ae not huge games and from memory the St.K Rich game was at the Dome. The crowds are still bigger than what would be expected on a normal day.

Back in '97 Essendon and Carlton drew 82,000 and they locked the gates. Why they locked them at 82K is beyond me, but that's what happened. Richmond vs Essendon also drew 90,000 in 1982, and there have been some other monsters over the years.

I reckon start the season on the Monday with one blockbuster. Then lead into round one 4 days later on the normal Friday night

 

[CoZi36]

The traditional Easter Thursday match between the Brisbane Lions and Saint Kilda will always be played then.

 

[Dan26]

The traditional Easter Thursday match between the Brisbane Lions and Saint Kilda will always be played then.

Why? It's hardly traditional. It would mean starting the season on the 20th March, which is too early.

If you use the logic that the season would "normally" start on Friday the 28th, it means the AFL would have to schedule a match a week and a day (i.e 8 days) before the normal start, which would be impossible because if either of the Bris or St.K made the NAB Cup Grand Final (which would have to be on Sat the 15th March), they would only have 5 days rest to start the seasn on Thursday night

Monday the 24th is a better start date IMHO.

I think what will happen is that the AFL will stop the "week off" between the NAB Cup Grand Final and round 1, meaning the NAB Cup wil be on Saturday 15th March (the 8th is too early) with a nine day break to the Easter Monday and then 4 days later the rest of round one begins on Friday the 28th.

 

[CoZi36]

Also in 2005 the Lions and Saints opened up the season on Thursday 24 March at the Gabba.

 

[CoZi36]

Why? It's hardly traditional. It would mean starting the season on the 20th March.

If you use the logic that the season would "normally" start on Friday the 28th, it means the AFL would have to schedule a match a week and a day (i.e 8 days) before the normal start.

Monday the 24th is a better start date IMHO.

The Lions have tried so hard to keep the fixture, it is important for us and the game in Queensland, it is like taking Essendon and Collingwood away from the ANZAC Day match. The Lions and Swans don't get any Friday night matches during the season. This is our only bloody chance. I would be angry if it was taken away - so would other Lions supporters. I love the Easter Thursday clash.

 

[bigsam]

If the AFL is serious about maximizing crowds and starting the season off with a bang, I’d begin the season like this…


Almost a monty to break the attendance record, without ruining rivalry round...

I don't think the AFL is so overly concerned about breaking the 400,000 aggregate attendance over 1 round of footy.

For the simple reason of.... if they wanted to - they could!

I think the AFL would rather grow attendance sustainably and consistently rather than having it fluctuate greatly week to week.

A consistent aggregate crowd across a full season would make it easier for the AFL to increase advertising revenue, as it offers corporate partners the opportunity to consistently and repeatedly get their message across.

Furthermore, think of the ratings dip that week as all 'die-hard' fans are catching 1-2 games live - and we all know who really runs fixturing these days.

And think of the logistical nightmare of prepping the MCG for 3 x 60K+ crowds in 3 days plus the logistical issues with 5 bumper crowds over a weekend in Melbourne - ie. restaurants/bar over capacity 1 week, empty the next when crowds fall for poorer attendances (not that the AFL would care anyway).

That said... I think consistency is paramount!

 

[bigsam]

what about a full round of matches over the Easter weekend...

a mid-season break/split round...

and bring back State of Origin footy for a wk end mid-year!!

 

[FootyJunkie]

what about a full round of matches over the Easter weekend...

a mid-season break/split round...

and bring back State of Origin footy for a wk end mid-year!!

Eureka! That's it. AFL takes advantage of the Easter schedule to squeeze in a their promised one-off SOO.

 

[Lonie_from_50]

Cozi has made a good point...with Easter and Season Launch of 2005 being on the Thursday.

It will be hard to include a fixture which will adopt to the Easter Weekend (21-24 March) with the Launch to be on the 27th or 28th of March. I do believe, that a traditional Easter Thursday game can be held on the Thursday Night as the 2008 Season Launch. It won't be the same, but the Lions and Saints still have their fixture.

It can be a long year in footy though...maybe 24 rounds could be introduced by the AFL in the next 6 months, maybe State of Origin leaps out of its grave and the AFL still keeps the Split Round, I don't know.

 

[red+black]

You can all save your breath. There will be no football on Easter weekend in 2008. Just like there wasn't in 1989, the most recent time when Easter was the 2nd last weekend in March.

 

[Dan26]

You can all save your breath. There will be no football on Easter weekend in 2008. Just like there wasn't in 1989, the most recent time when Easter was the 2nd last weekend in March.

And you know this, how? Sauce?

There were 22 weeks in 1989. We have 23 currently, remember.

 

[Hawkk]

They won'y ditch Easter. Well, not completely anyway. I still think they'll use the holiday Monday.

Hawkk, those games on EM in recent years ae not huge games and from memory the St.K Rich game was at the Dome. The crowds are still bigger than what would be expected on a normal day.

With that being the case, they have all have been drawcards that are expected to draw large crowds. IMO EM crowds in recent years have more or less resembled what you would expect to draw for FNF fixture between 2 sides - for example Haw/Melbourne drew 42,925 last year for their only fixture, only 200 less then what they drew on Monday.

Regarding the St.Kilda vs. Richmond games, yes they were played at Docklands but from memory both fixtures weren't ticketed. Given in both years the crowds were 10-15,000 below capacity I doubt it would have had a huge affect if the games were played at the MCG instead of Docklands anyway.

Back in '97 Essendon and Carlton drew 82,000 and they locked the gates. Why they locked them at 82K is beyond me, but that's what happened. Richmond vs Essendon also drew 90,000 in 1982, and there have been some other monsters over the years.

IMO the days of a 90,000+ marquee crowd at home and away fixtures is a thing of the past. In the examples you are talking about the games were pitted as probably the game of the season and thus drew massive amounts of supporters from both sides and neutrals - its similar to the NSWRL who in the 1960's and 70's occasionally drew 40,000+ to marquee Sunday fixtures during the normal season. Because of the mass exposure of the game and the fact that all 8 games are now played at first class venues around the country I doubt we will ever go back to the truly massive one off crowds of the past - ANZAC Day being the exception.

Games like the 99,000+ 1958 home and away fixture between Melbourne and Collingwood, the 93,000 at Waverley for Hawthorn/Collingwood, 90,000 for Richmond/Essendon at the MCG and 95,000 for the first Essendon/Collingwood ANZAC Day clash are a thing of the past IMO.

 

[red+black]

And you know this, how? Sauce?

There were 22 weeks in 1989. We have 23 currently, remember.

For a 23 round season, and 4 weeks of finals, Round 1 will start on the last weekend in March, as it usually does. What you propose would mean that the NAB Cup would also have to start a week early. No way will there be an Easter Thursday match next year. That is 8 days before the traditional start of the AFL season. If there was an Easter round at all, that would leave an extra weekend during the year (State of Origin?).

And don't forget that the 2nd last weekend of March is still cricket season. The Pura Cup final could clash with an early start to the AFL season.

 

[Pessimistic]

In 2011, the easter monday will likely be Ess v Coll. and there may be a game on the tuesday as well.

thursday, saturday(2), sunday(2), monday(2 anzac day and night), tuesday is my prediction

 

[Peacock]

It's unlikely you will get those monster crowds over 90k again unless it's a Carlton/Essendon situation in 2000. There's no doubt getting full replays of every game on TV is taking away from the crowds except for Friday night, due to the huge numbers that go to the footy after work that work in the CBD and surrounding areas.

Coll/Rich should get upward of 70k due to the Friday night factor.

I think Ess/Carl getting 65k would be a very solid crowd considering there is a full replay on the TV an hour and a half later and anything more should be considered a bonus. Having said that, I'd be disappointed with anything under 70k.

 

[Warwick]

Thursday Night

Collingwood vs Carlton - MCG

Good Friday

Essendon vs Richmond - MCG

Easter Saturday

Western Bulldogs vs Geelong - Telstra Dome

Saturday Night

Sydney vs West Coast - Telstra Stadium
Adelaide vs Brisbane - AAMI

Easter Sunday

Fremantle vs Port Adelaide - Subiaco

Sunday Night

St.Kilda vs Kangaroos - Telstra Dome

Easter Monday

Hawthorn vs Melbourne - MCG

Easter Thursday is between Brisbane and St Kilda.

Due to the League coverage, Brisbane do not get any Friday night games. Sydney get to play Collingwood in one of the very few matches in the split round. Every other club gets a prime Friday night game, or another high-drawing day.

Hands off.

 

[Peacock]

Easter Thursday is between Brisbane and St Kilda.

Brisbane can have their Easter Thursday I dont really care, but can someone tell me why St Kilda have to be your opponent?

 

[doppleganger]

Brisbane can have their Easter Thursday I dont really care, but can someone tell me why St Kilda have to be your opponent?

They don't

in 2003 and 2004 they played Collingwood on the Thursday night

dont think they care who the opponent is, just as long as the brions get to play a home game on easter thursday

think it is more who the glamour melbourne side of the time is

if the saints drop off this year, like the pies did in 04 they may look to another club in 08

the bulldogs with aker perhaps??

 

[red+black]

if the saints drop off this year, like the pies did in 04 they may look to another club in 08

except that there won't be an Easter Thursday game next year.

 

[doppleganger]

except that there won't be an Easter Thursday game next year.

how do you know they

wont have two spilts rounds during the year??

throw in a weeks break before the finals start??

revamp the nab cup format??