Friday Football

[weeyin]

Eh... International football will be played during the Summer Season months. March to November is the International Season.

 

Not for the World Cup and Euro finals though, and that's where it starts getting complicated. If you are playing in the summer, do you shut down every other season for 4 or 5 weeks or do you force teams who lose players to carry on without them?

 

A shutdown for 3 or 4 weeks after the New Year games would work for me. I don't see Friday night football delivering bigger crowds than a Wednesday night football. A more important factor is a predictable fixture list that allows fans to plan ahead weeks in advance.

['Wellfan 2k7]

A friday night game in the middle of july? Sounds like gold to me! A full day of nothingness, a couple drinks in the afternoon before heading out to watch the 'Well, A 6pm kick off , on a cool summers night, in the sunshine with no need for faulty floodlights? Bring it on!!!

 

[Rickoza]

Selling programmes in July has GOT to be better than early December. Shurely.

[weeyin]

A friday night game in the middle of july? Sounds like gold to me! A full day of nothingness, a couple drinks in the afternoon before heading out to watch the 'Well, A 6pm kick off , on a cool summers night, in the sunshine with no need for faulty floodlights? Bring it on!!!

 

 

6pm on a Friday? You want the stadium to yourself?

[nethertonwellfan]

I don't buy this only play the games at 1500 on a Saturday. The crowds are falling for those fuxtures too. The fact is attendances are falling across the board in Scotland whether it's midweek, Saturday/Sunday lunchtime etc. The more I think about it I actually commend the SPL and Motherwell as a club for trying it out. They try it out and it doesn't work whats the problem? At least they gave it a go. Now you may argue that the ticket offer and the reduced pricing flawed the experiment of Friday night football, however behind the scenes what if Motherwell we arguing that pricing is a major factor in falling attendances and have shown the SPL that Friday night football combined with the correct pricing structure works. You just have to look at the Hibs support to see that it has.

 

The fact people need to understand is football in this country is failing and the falling attendances prove that. There is nothing wrong with testing the water. 100 initiatives may fail but you never know you may just find that 1 thing that is the catalyst for a better Scottish Football. There is on thing for certain, if they powers that be were doing hee haw they would be getting crucified.

 

 

 

 

[weeyin]

If you change two variables in an experiment, you can't tell which one yielded the results.

 

In Friday's case, there was also an added attraction for Hibs fans that Fenlon was in charge for the first time. Taken in combination with reduced (or free) cost of entry, and change of day, it's impossible to make any evaluation of the outcome.

 

If the SPL wants to conduct experiments, then fair enough, but they have to be controlled in a way that lets them make valid conclusions.

 

In the same way, my argument that reverting to every game kicking off on Sat at 3pm (or Wed at 7:45pm) and restricting live games will boost attendances, can never be validated without actually running a controlled experiment.

[fatcalf]

I don't buy this only play the games at 1500 on a Saturday. The crowds are falling for those fuxtures too. The fact is attendances are falling across the board in Scotland whether it's midweek, Saturday/Sunday lunchtime etc. The more I think about it I actually commend the SPL and Motherwell as a club for trying it out. They try it out and it doesn't work whats the problem? At least they gave it a go. Now you may argue that the ticket offer and the reduced pricing flawed the experiment of Friday night football, however behind the scenes what if Motherwell we arguing that pricing is a major factor in falling attendances and have shown the SPL that Friday night football combined with the correct pricing structure works. You just have to look at the Hibs support to see that it has.

 

The fact people need to understand is football in this country is failing and the falling attendances prove that. There is nothing wrong with testing the water. 100 initiatives may fail but you never know you may just find that 1 thing that is the catalyst for a better Scottish Football. There is on thing for certain, if they powers that be were doing hee haw they would be getting crucified.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Friday night, less than half price plus hunners of free tickets going about attracts just over 7,000. Is that a success? In my book that's a massive fail. If we got 7,000 with no special offers I might have conceded ground on the matter but that just proves to me it is not the way forward. Half pice entry and loads of free tickets should work on Saturday 3pm kick offs to a far better degree but methinks it's been left too late to save our game if I'm totally honest. Can't fault anyone for trying but there were other options before this schemazzle.

[nethertonwellfan]

So Friday night, less than half price plus hunners of free tickets going about attracts just over 7,000. Is that a success? In my book that's a massive fail. If we got 7,000 with no special offers I might have conceded ground on the matter but that just proves to me it is not the way forward. Half pice entry and loads of free tickets should work on Saturday 3pm kick offs to a far better degree but methinks it's been left too late to save our game if I'm totally honest. Can't fault anyone for trying but there were other options before this schemazzle.

I'm no saying Friday night football is the answer but I don't see a problem in trying it out? What have we got to lose? I totally understand the point about reducing the prices and giving away free tickets totally flaws any increase in attendance. All I'm saying is what if behind the scenes at the SPL, Motherwell have been arguing for a reduced pricing structure (which needs to be across the board). The Hibs support proves that if you reduce the price to what the product is worth then more people will come to games.

 

Personally I don't agree with changing the day to Friday but at least they gave it a go. Friday nights will suit some people more than a Saturday 1500 and vice versa. The main problem with Scottish Football is the price and as much as people like to think that crowds are bigger when playing in the traditional Saturday slot, it is just not true because we still can't attract 5 thousand fans.

 

 

[Tweed]

I think Friday night shows that there is a market for a bigger crowd than the ones that we have been getting and also a bigger away support than Hibs have been getting. Was it because it was Friday? Was it because it was cheaper? Was it because of the new manager? Was it because of the words coming come out of Fir Park about improving the experience? Truth is nobody knows. Obviously when we look back to the £5 entry for Motherwell v Aberdeen in May 2008 the crowd was larger than it was on Friday. But that was a Saturday. But there was a tangible gain at the end of it (for both teams). But there were no free tickets.

 

The price is undoubtedly the constant. I prefer a Saturday afternoon kick off but I don't prefer it so much that I wouldn't go on a Friday night irrespective of the venue or the opposition. We need to work on these people who attended on Friday night who do not normally attend. I know Friday would have been a mince experience due to the game not finishing but these folks should all have a voucher so will be able to attend the rematch and that is an opportunity for an entertaining game to be served up and entice them back.

 

Another reason it may work is I may go along and watch Hamilton v Partick on 13/1/12 and can then go and watch us the next day and having both games on the Saturday would have lost my entry money at New Douglas Park. To that I also know of three Accies fans who paid in on Friday night because of the history of cracking games between us.

 

 

[weeyin]

Another reason it may work is I may go along and watch Hamilton v Partick on 13/1/12 and can then go and watch us the next day and having both games on the Saturday would have lost my entry money at New Douglas Park. To that I also know of three Accies fans who paid in on Friday night because of the history of cracking games between us.

 

That problem is just caused by crap scheduling. Before the 'computer' got involved Motherwell and Accies (and other local rivals) typically played home games on alternate Saturdays.

 

Now the SPL and SFL struggle to coordinate their shoelaces.

[Andy_P]

That problem is just caused by crap scheduling. Before the 'computer' got involved Motherwell and Accies (and other local rivals) typically played home games on alternate Saturdays.

 

Now the SPL and SFL struggle to coordinate their shoelaces.

 

It was in fact that very scheduling that indirectly helped me become a 'Well fan. My grandfather, resident of EK, supported Partick Thistle and with them being away from home his next option was to take my old man to either Accies or MFC to see his first ever game of football. Thank God Accies were away from home too......

 

It's an interesting point, how much an impact it has if indeed it has any impact, does the scheduling of Accies/Motherwell games have on our potential to attract football obsessives or floating fans to our games? I personally wouldn't have thought it would have a great deal of impact but then I've never stayed in Hamilton or Motherwell so couldn't really say for certain.

 

If it is deemed to have an impact then the club should be asking for it be to considered. After all its the done thing that Rangers and Celtic games alternative (for obvious reasons ofcourse) generally speaking you'll have the capital clubs alternating and though there is some of the crap scheduling you refer to that occasionally sees the Dundee sides scheduled at home together, for the most part they are kept apart too.

 

With that in mind, its not that great a leap that with Motherwell and Hamilton only a couple of miles apart that we could request the same degree of consideration when the building blocks of the fixtures are put in place.

 

As I say though, there would probably need to be some evidence put in place to support such a request.

[weeyin]

I read some of 'Flow's quotes in the Evening Times regarding this game:

 

“Motherwell FC had a couple of initiatives in place relating to the Hibs game. Firstly, we designated the game a ‘Fir Park Football Friday’ and that entitled every Season Book holder the chance to donate a free ticket to the game to a supporter of their choosing.

 

“Obviously prices were also reduced to £10 adults/concessions and £5 kids and I am sure that would also have played a part.

 

“We believe we may have had around 500 people extra on the gate as a result of these initiatives.

 

If 500 is accurate, then bearing in mind the 50%+ reduction in gate prices, we must have lost out financially.

[nethertonwellfan]

I read some of 'Flow's quotes in the Evening Times regarding this game:

 

 

 

If 500 is accurate, then bearing in mind the 50%+ reduction in gate prices, we must have lost out financially.

Tam Cowan said we took a 20k hit on Friday night which was a deliberate attempt to try and retain some of the extra fans. If we somehow managed to succed in that then the 20k would be a solid investment over the course of a year. Obviously things don't work that way.

[santheman]

Tam Cowan said we took a 20k hit on Friday night which was a deliberate attempt to try and retain some of the extra fans. If we somehow managed to succed in that then the 20k would be a solid investment over the course of a year. Obviously things don't work that way.

 

I,m assuming he was talking about gate receipts but It would probably have been more than that as food sales would have been badly hit as well.

Wonder what they did with all the pies?

[Brazilian]

I,m assuming he was talking about gate receipts but It would probably have been more than that as food sales would have been badly hit as well.

Wonder what they did with all the pies?

eh, probably sold them as there was a big crowd and the game wasn't called of until afte r the halftime break?

[Martin]

Aye n theyll get to sell at least the same amount of pies again. So a wee bonus actually.

[santheman]

eh, probably sold them as there was a big crowd and the game wasn't called of until afte r the halftime break?

 

Just goin by what I was told by my mate who is a Hibs fan and was in the South stand that there were still big queues at the kiosks when they were told they had to leave.

[Martin]

Just goin by what I was told by my mate who is a Hibs fan and was in the South stand that there were still big queues at the kiosks when they were told they had to leave.

Aye ma mate who sells the pies said there were afew quite ragin after waiting 20 minutes then getting told to go home. Hehe

[nethertonwellfan]

I,m assuming he was talking about gate receipts but It would probably have been more than that as food sales would have been badly hit as well.

Wonder what they did with all the pies?

He did say that before the game about the 20k. I don't think we would have lost money on food as such anyway because alot of people by their food when they come in plus the game wasn't called off right on the half time whistle so people would have still been going to the kiosks. Anyway do we not sell the contracts for the catering, therefore it would have been someone else who lost out, no? Do correct me if I'm wrong cause I'm no 100%.

[fatcalf]

He did say that before the game about the 20k. I don't think we would have lost money on food as such anyway because alot of people by their food when they come in plus the game wasn't called off right on the half time whistle so people would have still been going to the kiosks. Anyway do we not sell the contracts for the catering, therefore it would have been someone else who lost out, no? Do correct me if I'm wrong cause I'm no 100%.

Back in house I believe, still close 5 mins after half-time anyway so they wouldn't have lost out on much custom.

[Jonesy]

Anyway do we not sell the contracts for the catering, therefore it would have been someone else who lost out, no? Do correct me if I'm wrong cause I'm no 100%.

 

I think that changed last season, when they brought the Chapmans pies back in, all the catering was switched back in-house. I vaguely remember the club advertising for kiosk staff.

 

That may have changed back again this season though.

[Brazilian]

So a few years in to the Friday night football experiment,

 

and now we have games switched with less than four weeks notice , in Winter, Motherwell in Dundee, on TV and normal pricing.

 

I said it years ago , the inconsistent match scheduling and late date switches is the biggest own goal of the SPL-SPFL Premiership.

 

I cant find the other Friday football thread, showing attendances were only ever skewed with 'enhancements' and now we have the added 'Sellik' factor damaging chances of extra income for clubs.

 

it'll suit some and not suit others, I'd wager more season ticket holders lose out , over those who gain

 

So, what do folk think years on?

 

Friday night football, does it help Football in Scotland or not?

[ropy]

1390948387[/url]' post='405205']

So a few years in to the Friday night football experiment,

 

and now we have games switched with less than four weeks notice , in Winter, Motherwell in Dundee, on TV and normal pricing.

 

I said it years ago , the inconsistent match scheduling and late date switches is the biggest own goal of the SPL-SPFL Premiership.

 

I cant find the other Friday football thread, showing attendances were only ever skewed with 'enhancements' and now we have the added 'Sellik' factor damaging chances of extra income for clubs.

 

it'll suit some and not suit others, I'd wager more season ticket holders lose out , over those who gain

 

os what do folk think years on.

 

Friday night football, does it help Football in Scotland or not?

 

It happens to suit me this time round.

I don't mind Friday football, it would be ideal if I lived in the town and could head to the pub afterwards.

[Tweed]

It could help if the clubs utilised it to engage with a new audience but they don't.

 

It seems just to have been used as a pawn to give BT Sport and Sky another place to shove us where they don't want or have the buy in from the EPL.

 

Last minute game changes (I mean within eight weeks of the game) mean people already have other plans in place so won't go.

 

As I said on the Well Society Facebook page, even moving the game by 2 hours on a Saturday at this notice could render the train tickets you'd bought worthless as they get you there after kick off. Aberdeen's trip to Paisley on February 15th moved today. In England, they made all their amendments for March yesterday. Football needs to realise that people have other things in their life and we can't all shoehorn our lives round them when they change things so late. I have no objection to FNF in principal but this change was just too late.

 

Also for us I think we should try and be utilising it with St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Partick as you can return from them on public transport and at a push the Edinburgh teams if you come the long way. Dundee is too far away.

 

 

[Yabba's Turd]

I'd rather shite in my hands and clap than attend Friday football.