The "Annual" Good Friday football discussion thread

[LordLucifer]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...r-to-promote-equalisation-20140417-zqvrj.html

I completely understand where Peter Gordon is coming from here but the economics have to be adhered to as well. With all the brouhaha surrounding Good Friday matches, if you put on two of the smaller clubs who only draw smallish crowds, them the naysayers will have more ammo to throw back. On the other hand, if you put two of the blockbuster clubs in the people will say it is a wasted opportunity.

My solution would be to have some of the smaller clubs play but do it as a double-header. That's right, two games one after the other with the fans only paying one admission price.

It should turn the whole day into a carnival experience and have the very high expectation of a sellout. The TV coverage could be shaped around a whole day at the 'G' with links to the religious side of the day as well as the Good Friday Appeal.

12:30pm - Saints VS Demons

3:15pm - Dogs V Roos

Naturally I'd prefer if Carlton played on the day but what I have proposed might actually please everyone and work at the same time.

 

[vaughany]

I completely understand where Peter Gordon is coming from here but the economics have to be adhered to as well. With all the brouhaha surrounding Good Friday matches, if you put on two of the smaller clubs who only draw smallish crowds, them the naysayers will have more ammo to throw back. On the other hand, if you put two of the blockbuster clubs in the people will say it is a wasted opportunity.

My solution would be to have some of the smaller clubs play but do it as a double-header. That's right, two games one after the other with the fans only paying one admission price.

It should turn the whole day into a carnival experience and have the very high expectation of a sellout. The TV coverage could be shaped around a whole day at the 'G' with links to the religious side of the day as well as the Good Friday Appeal.

12:30pm - Saints VS Demons

3:15pm - Dogs V Roos

Naturally I'd prefer if Carlton played on the day but what I have proposed might actually please everyone and work at the same time.

Yeah I reckon trial a double header something different!
Only drawback will be how to sort out where reserved seat members sit when their is "two" home teams :S

 

[LordLucifer]

Yeah I reckon trial a double header something different!
Only drawback will be how to sort out where reserved seat members sit when their is "two" home teams :S

I'd be more worried about filling the joint first off instead of who sits where but I understand your perspective.

 

[master bate]

But the AFL get a large portion of the broadcast rights cash because of blockbusters, the smaller clubs are happy to take their equal share of that money, start playing North and the Dogs every second Friday night and the ratings would plummet, along with our record television deals, it is what it is, give the people what they want IMO and the vast majority of people want blockbusters on public holidays.

I have never seen small clubs sign on for getting rigged in the fixture for the best part of 20 years.

The mega blockbuster TV deal, created to satisfy Demetriou's bonus, has probably been the worst thing for the game. It's created this notion that everything has to be financially based.

The NFL has a rolling fixture of their Sunday Night footy and gives good teams more Monday night games, but every club gets a shot. No one at a smaller club is asking for Friday night footy to be completely equal, they understand the desire for the bigger clubs (and more importantly) the better teams to get more of a run in prime time. It just doesn't have to be so out of whack as it is now. You can try your best to create a made for TV game and then get Carl v Ess that we had on Sunday night a couple of weeks back and the game to be unwatchable post quarter time.

Go back before 2005 (or even 2008) and no way is Haw v Geel a blockbuster public holiday game. It just so happens they've been the best teams of the last decade and also created a great rivalry.

North are looking like a top 6 team right now and are still pretty young. Bulldogs are at least competitive and seem to be going in the right direction. From a football perspective both teams should be somewhat watchable for the new few years. Carlton, maybe not. Essendon, well not if ASADA comes home to roost.

I can see a small risk of a manageable failure but a huge opportunity to start something pretty good for two teams if you announce that from next year there will be a 3 year trial of North v WB and if the crowds and TV audiences aren't there then the game will be handed over to the circling vultures.

 

[Hawkk]

Perhaps but the fixture was scheduled in round 1 in 2007 (albeit in a twilight slot) and 2011

2007: 59847
2011: 60654

What game do these stats above belong to?

http://afltables.com/afl/teams/richmond/allgames_tm.html#3

Richmond V Carlton round 1 matches...

 

[cammo78]

No worries - give it to Essendon, Collingwood, whoever.

BUT - at the same time, ALL gate revenue, from ALL home and away games is pooled and distributed evenly amongst the clubs.

If the AFL continues to insist on contrived, disproportionate "fixturing" - it can also share the windfall that generates dead-set evenly amongst its' constituents.

 

[master bate]

I completely understand where Peter Gordon is coming from here but the economics have to be adhered to as well. With all the brouhaha surrounding Good Friday matches, if you put on two of the smaller clubs who only draw smallish crowds, them the naysayers will have more ammo to throw back. On the other hand, if you put two of the blockbuster clubs in the people will say it is a wasted opportunity.

My solution would be to have some of the smaller clubs play but do it as a double-header. That's right, two games one after the other with the fans only paying one admission price.

It should turn the whole day into a carnival experience and have the very high expectation of a sellout. The TV coverage could be shaped around a whole day at the 'G' with links to the religious side of the day as well as the Good Friday Appeal.

12:30pm - Saints VS Demons

3:15pm - Dogs V Roos

Naturally I'd prefer if Carlton played on the day but what I have proposed might actually please everyone and work at the same time.

I don't think the naysayers will be a problem. Once footy is on Good Friday it's not going away even if the crowds and viewers are small. ANZAC day couldn't fail because it would be disrespectful to the ANZACs. If Good Friday footy fails with small teams it will be simply and easily replaced by big teams.

That said I don't like a double header as I think you need to leave some part of the day for religious reasons and for the Good Friday appeal. 2 games is getting greedy.

 

[incubi]

North melbourne vs Bulldogs sounds good, I have no doubt with the extra promotion and marketng involved that can get 45k+ at Etihad.
dogs vs north on a sunday at 4.40, the worst possibly time slot got 28 a couple weeks ago. fans of both teams would make sure they turned up to support the occassion and the extra promotion would mean a mcuh larger crowd.
if these sort of things take off, the small clubs get bigger and equalisation isnt as big a problem anymore.

 

[Pessimistic]

The 60,000 came from both teams been in poor form and the fact that the season was a week old already.

No interest from the neutral supporters and it was a thursday night.

But everyone tells us the so called big 4 crowds arent affected by form ?

 

[Suma Magic]

Reading through this thread it seems like most have forgotten that its now the AFL, not the VFL.

 

[LordLucifer]

I don't think the naysayers will be a problem. Once footy is on Good Friday it's not going away even if the crowds and viewers are small. ANZAC day couldn't fail because it would be disrespectful to the ANZACs. If Good Friday footy fails with small teams it will be simply and easily replaced by big teams.

That said I don't like a double header as I think you need to leave some part of the day for religious reasons and for the Good Friday appeal. 2 games is getting greedy.

And therefore defeats the equalisation option.

I'd prefer four of the smaller clubs get 25% of the feed than two of the big clubs get 50% each.

Think about it for a momemt, we don't have anything like a double-header in the league and here is a perfect way of making it something special.

 

[Pessimistic]

Has anyone thought the timeslot might turn out to be as popular as...say...mothers day ?

Be careful

 

[TedDougChris]

I completely understand where Peter Gordon is coming from here but the economics have to be adhered to as well..

Why ??

Sorry, I thought this was a sporting competition, where all clubs have an equal chance of being successful ?? I didn't realise that it was a financial institution that I've been watching all these years..

(in all seriousness, I do understand the angle of your comment, but given the AFL makes money every year, they can afford to encourage the smaller clubs in this sort of endeavour)

 

[Pessimistic]

The so called big 4 clashes draw well anyway, they dont need extra promotion of a fixed timeslot

 

[the distributer]

I have never seen small clubs sign on for getting rigged in the fixture for the best part of 20 years.

The mega blockbuster TV deal, created to satisfy Demetriou's bonus, has probably been the worst thing for the game. It's created this notion that everything has to be financially based.

The NFL has a rolling fixture of their Sunday Night footy and gives good teams more Monday night games, but every club gets a shot. No one at a smaller club is asking for Friday night footy to be completely equal, they understand the desire for the bigger clubs (and more importantly) the better teams to get more of a run in prime time. It just doesn't have to be so out of whack as it is now. You can try your best to create a made for TV game and then get Carl v Ess that we had on Sunday night a couple of weeks back and the game to be unwatchable post quarter time.

Go back before 2005 (or even 2008) and no way is Haw v Geel a blockbuster public holiday game. It just so happens they've been the best teams of the last decade and also created a great rivalry.

North are looking like a top 6 team right now and are still pretty young. Bulldogs are at least competitive and seem to be going in the right direction. From a football perspective both teams should be somewhat watchable for the new few years. Carlton, maybe not. Essendon, well not if ASADA comes home to roost.

I can see a small risk of a manageable failure but a huge opportunity to start something pretty good for two teams if you announce that from next year there will be a 3 year trial of North v WB and if the crowds and TV audiences aren't there then the game will be handed over to the circling vultures.

It's pretty simple mate, if the smaller clubs want blockbuster status they simply have to start averaging 45K+ crowds, until they do they aren't worthy of playing on such a day, they should be made to earn the right just like the current big 4.

 

[sverik25]

The game has to be a blockbuster, north and the dogs don't fit the criteria IMO, if the main purpose of the game is to raise money for the kids then Collingwood simply has to be involved.

Collingwood-Carlton-Essendon-Richmond didn't become popular because of Friday night prime time slots, those clubs were popular way before Friday night football-Anzac day-Dreamtime, I get the feeling North and dogs fans think those big 4 clubs get a leg up through blockbusters etc etc but they were already much more popular prior to Television blockbusters.

I think it's a bit selfish for smaller clubs expecting the slot when the main purpose of the day should be to raise money for charity.

I think it's a bit selfish bigger clubs expecting to play Good Friday simply because the others won't pull as a big a crowd.

 

[Pessimistic]

It's pretty simple mate, if the smaller clubs want blockbuster status they simply have to start averaging 45K+ crowds, until they do they aren't worthy of playing on such a day, they should be made to earn the right just like the current big 4.

Try averaging 45k in a 45k maximum stadium ? Eg carltons crowds when they were at optus oval

 

[JackFlash]

It shouldn't be set in stone who plays on Good Friday in Melbourne, but you could have either the Showdown or Derby on the same day surely? A twilight start at Etihad leading into a game in SA or WA sounds good to me?

 

[ep2018]

Has anyone thought the timeslot might turn out to be as popular as...say...mothers day ?

Be careful

Mothers Day isn't a public holiday though

 

[doggies ftw]

It would be nice if the dogs got good friday so then at least id be able to enjoy a friday night game, we havent had a single one in 2 years...

 

[Kimbo]

But without being disrespectful, your club [Dogs], amongst others, cannot guarantee the attendance and prestige necessary for that game.

Attendance and prestige, as much as you'd like to think otherwise, are mutually exclusive. Also, I'm not so sure I'd associate Essendon with prestige ("widespread respect and admiration") right about now.

 

[vaughany]

Reading through this thread it seems like most have forgotten that its now the AFL, not the VFL.

A lot of Victorian based suggestions/discussions are due to the RCH appeal is massive in Victoria on Good Friday and the opportunity to raise lots of money for them on the day by playing the game

 

[Kimbo]

Nah not really. Carlton v North have been pushing to have the Good friday timeslot since 1992.

Well, we have at least. We involved you more recently.

 

[vaughany]

Has anyone thought the timeslot might turn out to be as popular as...say...mothers day ?

Be careful

Mothers day marquee matches were a fizzer as everyone was catching up with their mums/families for mothers day lunches and couldn't attend games. I believe that is why the AFL only has twilight or Perth games on mothers day for this time slot reason

 

[The Dustbin]

The AFL run a business not a competition. At the end of the day the decision will be purely based on and for commercial reasons. Therefore, I can't see the dogs, Melb, north or the saints getting the gig unfortunately.