View Full Version : Friday Night football......
Anyone else fed up with the amount of Friday night games we've played this year?
Not all of us can get there on time, last night i arrived 15 minutes into the first quarter and earlier in the year had to miss the North game altogether. I realise it's all about TV ratings, but surely we could be allotted a few more day games next year.
Looking out the window this morning, it looks a perfect day for footy.........i'd love to be goin' to the 'G today.
I'd kill for a Saturday afternoon at the 'G.
Whatta ya's reckon?
where's wally?
mongrelpunt
27 Jul 2002, 12:08
Originally posted by Wally
Anyone else fed up with the amount of Friday night games we've played this year?
Not all of us can get there on time, last night i arrived 15 minutes into the first quarter and earlier in the year had to miss the North game altogether. I realise it's all about TV ratings, but surely we could be allotted a few more day games next year.
Looking out the window this morning, it looks a perfect day for footy.........i'd love to be goin' to the 'G today.
I'd kill for a Saturday afternoon at the 'G.
Whatta ya's reckon?
where's wally?
At least you have the option of going to the games.
I hate the fact that Essendon play on so many Friday & Saturday nights. The TV coverage in Brisbane is appaling at the best of times, but when you have to wait until 9:30pm Friday and 11pm Saturday (and that's on Fox Footy), I wish all the time that the Bombers played more on Saturday arvos. At least then the game would be on Channel 10 LIVE at 2.
But Big Ed has got his way ,and like you said, the TV and the almighty dollar rule all, and Essendon play in the peak TV Ratings hours. Which at the moment in Brisbane, is anywhere between 11pm Friday night and 7am Saturday morning.
Yeah, I hate it. Give them all to norf fans as they seem so eager to have them back.
I hate it. I can't get down to Melbourne on Friday night's and a lot of Saturday nights either. If games were played more in the afternoon I would be able to attend more. I'm sure a lot more people would too.
Crowds for night games in years past for Essendon have been more-or-less identical to what we would get during the day.
This year, however, our crowds are way down. Maybe the fact we are playing night games EVERY week is putting fans off-side. This year we have got 40,000 or lower at the MCG three times. Normally we get 40K when we play an interstate side, yet in 2002 we can't get that against Victorian opposition!
I was looking through the draw, and the Anzac day game and the round 22 match against Carlton are the ONLY Victorian games Essendon play all year under sunlight with a red ball.
Sick of 'em. Much prefer saturday afternoon.
Dan, when you say "Crowds for night games in years past for Essendon have been more-or-less identical to what we would get during the day", how many years past are we talking about? And are you comparing like games, ie richmond on a friday night to richmond on a saturday afternoon?
MJ_RULES
27 Jul 2002, 20:11
Saturday afternoon at the Footy.....Bombers in full flight...
Ahhh cant beat it.....:)
Originally posted by MJ_RULES
Saturday afternoon at the Footy.....Bombers in full flight...
Ahhh cant beat it.....:)
Haven't had either for a looooong time! :(
Vintage 62
27 Jul 2002, 20:26
When the ratings drop, ther'll be fewer friday night games for the bombers. And the way we're going, the ratings WILL drop!
windyhill
27 Jul 2002, 22:43
Essendon will be pushing for more afternoon games next year. We will get more than this year, no worries. I have no problem when we play, but i can see how people stay away especially with young kids.
Originally posted by Dave
Sick of 'em. Much prefer saturday afternoon.
Dan, when you say "Crowds for night games in years past for Essendon have been more-or-less identical to what we would get during the day", how many years past are we talking about? And are you comparing like games, ie richmond on a friday night to richmond on a saturday afternoon?
Given I have a strong interest in crowds, and like to think of myself as a good crowd-estimator, there has been no noticeable difference between night and day crowds in years past. We've had this discussion before, and it was shown that the difference is minimal, and attributal to random variation. You're obviously not going to get an identical number when comparing night and day - the chances of that are next to nothing.
Before this year, I have NEVER gone to a Friday nigth game thinking, "Gee, we would have got more during the day" Some of our best crowds have been at night. When we drew 55,000 against West Coast in '99, I certainly didn't think the crowd was down. Hell, it was 10,000 more than nay club had ever drawn against West Coast! Same when we drew 62,000 against the Swans at night in '98. The crowds have always been "roughly" what you'd expect during the day. There certainly hasn't been a noticeable difference in the past several seasons.
However, our weak crowds this year, could be for an entirely different reason? Whose to say we wouldn't have drawn 39,000 against Richmond during the afternoon? No one really knows. I'd suggest "form", was the primary reason for the weak crowd on Friday - from both teams.
Originally posted by Dan26
Given I have a strong interest in crowds, and like to think of myself as a good crowd-estimator, there has been no noticeable difference between night and day crowds in years past. We've had this discussion before, and it was shown that the difference is minimal, and attributal to random variation.
Actually that was your claim. Over the past four years we've averaged 63k in all h&a day games at the 'G as against 59k at night. Four thousand is a pretty significant statistical difference to me (the figures I used were sent to me by the AFL).
Whose to say we wouldn't have drawn 39,000 against Richmond during the afternoon?
History. Essendon and Richmond have not drawn a sub 50K crowd at the MCG for a day h&a match since 1992.
No one really knows. I'd suggest "form", was the primary reason for the weak crowd on Friday - from both teams.
The same could be argued about last years rd 22 night game.
Looking at the recent crowds at matches between the two teams day games have consistantly drawn better that night games.
Ess v Rich since 1995
Day:
52,271
58,768
58,812
70,200
83,773
59,458
73,465
77,576
Average: 66K. All above 50K.
Night:
76,628
48,835
49,521
77,028
67,453
39,650
Average 59K.
Originally posted by Dave
The same could be argued about last years rd 22 night game.
Last years round 22 game was between 1st and 4th, and Richmond were playing for a top-4 position. Our poor form leading up to the game had nothing to do with it. The game drew what you would reasonably expect during the day.
Also, a sample of half a dozen night and day games means nothing.
I could look at our night and day games versus West Coast since 1993 and show that our night games have drawn:
45,277 in 1998
55,096 in 1999
39,694 in 2000
Average 46,689
While our day games have drawn:
44,507 in 1993
39,492 in 1994
20,852 in 1996
33,829 in 2001
Average 34,670
You really need hundreds of games over several decades to draw any meaningful conclusions. The Bureau of meteorology's weather patterns over a 10 year period are not regarded as relevant, because they need several decades of analysis before the conlcusions have enough data.
It's a bit like tossing a coin 100 times and gettign 58 heads and claiming the coin is lopsided. You really need several hundred thows.
If our crowds are down at night, there is certainly no evidence to suggest so, other than random variation. Before this year, most of our big games have been played during the day anyway. For example, since 1995 we have played 40 home and away games against Carlton, Collingwood and Richmond. 31 of those have been during the day, while only 9 have been at night. The AFL have certainly believed that Friday night games have been the time slot that produces the biggest crowds over the years. There have been some monsters.
Statistics are bull****.
Everyone agrees night games suck the big one no?
Stealth bomber
28 Jul 2002, 23:55
I don't mind an occasional night game, but I am getting sick and tired of going to them week after week. I know my wife is - on Friday night I went to the game alone. Not that she hates footy, she just has things to do with friends on Friday night. Plain and simple, some people have plans. I can't go to the Brisbane game because I have a gig in Fitzroy.
This time of year, it's damn cold. I know a lot of people don't go just because of weather. It's never stopped me (I've sat through NFL games where it snowed) but it keeps the casuals away, that is for sure.
Strangely enough, I think Essendon doesn't play as well at night either. There is probably no good scientific reason or statistical basis to back that up, but it seems that way to me.
I don't mind night games normally, but it's starting to get over the top for me. I feel normal going to a game at the mcg during the afternoon - that feels right. And night games used to have this kind of exciting feel to them, but now they're getting a little tedious. I like to relax for a couple of hours on Friday night, if I've had a long week, but it's stressful getting to a night game. The thing I dislike most about them is the public transport home. Last week the first two trains got cancelled because of graffitti, so they ended up having to stick two trains full of footy crowd onto a three carriage train. Smart? Much?
I'm sure it does have something to do with the drop in attendance. Not that night games necessarily cause the attendance to drop simply because they're a night game, but because there are just so many of them. It's tiring, especially for families I'd imagine - it's no longer a treat, once in a while. And people tend to have better things to do on Friday nights.
I'm tired, I'll probably edit this tomorrow when grammar starts making sense again.
sick of it ...here in Sydney even I am losing interest as we have only had 2 live games this season and we can't go to the pub and see it live like we could last year...sick of it!!!:mad:
our team's become vampyres...by the way the games we lost...were they mostly day games?
lioncub
30 Jul 2002, 18:14
Originally posted by M29
Yeah, I hate it.
Wow :eek: So different from our attitude up here (Brisvegas).. the afternoon games SUCK! Reasons:
- there's no atmosphere at the ground during the day - must be something in the water up here... it's like everyone's drugged
- The players (of both teams) struggle with the heat
- You can't wear the Team Scarf and Beanie without passing out from heat exhaustion!!
- and finally... We've had SO MANY BLOODY Sunday afternoon Games! :mad:
when the lights come on for a night game - the air's CRACKLING!!
Lions Vs X on a Saturday night is Awesome! Not to be missed! (if we win that is...) :D
BomberGal
31 Jul 2002, 16:23
Originally posted by Wally
Anyone else fed up with the amount of Friday night games we've played this year?
Not all of us can get there on time, last night i arrived 15 minutes into the first quarter and earlier in the year had to miss the North game altogether. I realise it's all about TV ratings, but surely we could be allotted a few more day games next year.
Looking out the window this morning, it looks a perfect day for footy.........i'd love to be goin' to the 'G today.
I'd kill for a Saturday afternoon at the 'G.
Whatta ya's reckon?
where's wally?
Definitely. It's far too difficult for me to make Friday night games - I have to leave school early, and then by the time I get back home it's between 2 and 3 in the morning, and then I have to play netball on Saturday morning. As good as Saturday afternoons are, I don't like them coz I'm at the local footy, and I can't get to those matches either :D I prefer Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, makes it a lot easier for me and many others to get to.
rednugget
31 Jul 2002, 16:43
Originally posted by Wally
Anyone else fed up with the amount of Friday night games we've played this year?
Not all of us can get there on time, last night i arrived 15 minutes into the first quarter and earlier in the year had to miss the North game altogether. I realise it's all about TV ratings, but surely we could be allotted a few more day games next year.
Looking out the window this morning, it looks a perfect day for footy.........i'd love to be goin' to the 'G today.
I'd kill for a Saturday afternoon at the 'G.
Whatta ya's reckon?
where's wally?
No I love Fiday night games at Colonial because I work 5 mins from there, but I can understand how it could be frustrating for some people especially for people with young kids.
Pornstar
31 Jul 2002, 17:15
I don't mind the night games too much. I think the atmosphere is better, but the downside is light beer and my vision isn't the best at night either.
Stegelator
31 Jul 2002, 20:42
I don't mind it, but I would much rather saturday afternoon matches.
Seeing as I live 2 hours away from Melbourne I can't make it too much games, And Saturday afternoon is the best day to go as it's much easier to travel to and from game. Also I can't go on Sunday afternoon because I have Church, so It's ****ing me off that I can't go to much games this year.. But I have been to a few friday night games this year.
windyhill
31 Jul 2002, 22:11
Originally posted by Pornstar
I don't mind the night games too much. I think the atmosphere is better, but the downside is light beer and my vision isn't the best at night either.
10 pre-match pots at The Royal would not help matters.
Pornstar
1 Aug 2002, 11:24
Originally posted by windyhill
10 pre-match pots at The Royal would not help matters. hehe nah, it makes the strippers look a bit better though.