Beginning of Friday Night Football

[footyfan1978]

Just seen this pop up on youtube.
It is how Friday night football started out in the league.
First time a game for premiership points in real season began was round 1 of 1985.

Back then the only in season games covered live on tv were Swans games from SCG every second Sunday and the grand final itself.
Saturday night replay show was the regular football tv diet which usually meant 2 hours from 6-30 pm to 8-30 pm every Saturday night with the best 35 to 40 minutes of about three games from that Saturday shown at night.
This was something very new. A game for premiership points played under lights, with a yellow ball played at the end of the working week.
I cannot remember what time the game stated but my guess is it was 7-30pm so like a game on Saturday if you wanted to follow your tv live, if you could not get to the game itself, you had to listen to the radio coverage that night.
Then later at night, probably 9-30 pm, a replay show of the game was shown.
Somebody that recorded it on video recorder must have uploaded to youtube.
Looks like a bit of Saturday night replay is after it.

Friday night football for first time ever...

 

[Percel]

Carlton Draught at 48:52...white cans (for the NT crew)

 

[wagstaff]

I don't think Friday night games were shown in full until the mid 90s; was usually about 65-75% of the game like this one was.

It is amazing from 1982 to 1986 how much more TV coverage Vic viewers got of the Sydney Swans compared to any other team in the comp.

 

[footyfan1978]

I don't think Friday night games were shown in full until the mid 90s; was usually about 65-75% of the game like this one was.

It is amazing from 1982 to 1986 how much more TV coverage Vic viewers got of the Sydney Swans compared to any other team in the comp.

It progressed from replay show like this one, then at some point delayed telecast at end of mid 90's maybe, and finally live telecast.
I think most of Friday night games after mid 90's it was a delayed telecast here by 90 minutes. If the game started at 7-10 pm, the tv start of game was around 8-40 pm. But if there was a Friday night game in Perth I think we got it live.

 

[JohnZ]

This was something very new. A game for premiership points played under lights, with a yellow ball played at the end of the working week.
I cannot remember what time the game stated but my guess is it was 7-30pm so like a game on Saturday if you wanted to follow your tv live, if you could not get to the game itself, you had to listen to the radio coverage that night.

AFL tables has it listed as 7.40pm kick off.

 

[JohnZ]

I know this is off topic, but seeing as we're reminiscing about days gone past....

Does anyone remember what Ch9s Sunday football used to be (2002 to 2006)

From memory the early 1.10pm game (generally interstate) was shown in full (was it live, can't remember that), with the 2.10pm game at the MCG (or Docklands) shown in a replay/highlights manner from the studio (like they used to do in the 80s/90s) afterwards up to the 6pm news.

 

[footyfan1978]

AFL tables has it listed as 7.40pm kick off.

Amused by your term kick off.
I detect someone originally from overseas that follows soccer too.

 

[JohnZ]

Amused by your term kick off.
I detect someone originally from overseas that follows soccer too.

Not sure why I wrote it like that, normally I'd say first bounce (much prefer it to bouncedown which they use out west). Ah well

 

[Roobs321]

I moved to NSW in 1995 as a little kid. Friday night football at a reasonable time was definitely a thing by 1997. I remember Bulldogs-Melbourne in Rnd 4 (Bulldogs were surprisingly top of the ladder after both had sucked in '96). North Melbourne had a lot of big Friday night wins in '96, which might have amplified their greatness in the eyes of punters compared to a team you might only get to see on television several times during H&A.

The '96 prelim is the first night game I vividly recall myself (the increased success of the Swans may have helped telecast of night games), although I remember seeing one of Freo's very first night games in early '95 when still in Victoria. I was a typical little kid who'd likely have to go to bed well before midnight, so they must have been on at a reasonable time with maybe a slight 830pm delay.

From the late 90s through 2011, a lot of Friday & Saturday night games were delayed in NSW until near midnight, even dawn. Occasionally I'd get back from a teen party night at like 3am and watch a full game with some family leftovers before going to bed. It was a bit like following EPL. Since 2012, I don't recall there being any delayed games at all really in the northern states. The 2010 PF between Collingwood & Geelong was the last really big game that I remember being delayed a few hours. 2011 Eagles night games were some of the last ones I recall staying up late to watch.

During the Ten era, Sydney often played Saturday nights and almost never Friday nights given the NRL market clash. Sunday afternoon games on C9 always seemed to be 1-4pm in NSW. There was a sort of double header Sunday thing in about 1999/2000 from memory when C7 still had rights, but you'd miss the first half of the second game.

 

[Breretonisahood]

I seem to recall a lot more telecast games once WCE and BB joined the comp in 87. I can’t recall if they were delayed but the Perth games on a Friday night were pretty late due to time difference. Made for a great night at the pub after work- something we’d never had before. It’s crazy the VFL were so scared of direct TV coverage destroying match attendances given TV rights came to be much more valuable than gate receipts.

 

[raymond35]

I managed to get in about 5 minutes before the first bounce, a girl i worked with missed the entire first quarter.
Also, i read that there was a Friday night game in Sydney a couple of years earlier, that most people have forgotten about.

 

[living_in_syd]

Just seen this pop up on youtube.
It is how Friday night football started out in the league.
First time a game for premiership points in real season began was round 1 of 1985.

Back then the only in season games covered live on tv were Swans games from SCG every second Sunday and the grand final itself.
Saturday night replay show was the regular football tv diet which usually meant 2 hours from 6-30 pm to 8-30 pm every Saturday night with the best 35 to 40 minutes of about three games from that Saturday shown at night.
This was something very new. A game for premiership points played under lights, with a yellow ball played at the end of the working week.
I cannot remember what time the game stated but my guess is it was 7-30pm so like a game on Saturday if you wanted to follow your tv live, if you could not get to the game itself, you had to listen to the radio coverage that night.
Then later at night, probably 9-30 pm, a replay show of the game was shown.
Somebody that recorded it on video recorder must have uploaded to youtube.
Looks like a bit of Saturday night replay is after it.

Friday night football for first time ever...

Love those old ads

pretty good qaulity there from VHS?

 

[radiojake]

Friday nights were definitely delayed early 90s - id hate it if someone checked the radio for a score if the game was on later

 

[Kangapirate]

Friday night games in the 90s would be delayed on channel 7, the replay would start at 9.30pm from memory, the live match beginning around an hour earlier, either 8.10 or 8.30. I’d remember coming home from a North game after midnight and the replay still being on tv.

West Coast Friday night games from the WACCA were all televised live into Melbourne.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Friday night games in the 90s would be delayed on channel 7, the replay would start at 9.30pm from memory, the live match beginning around an hour earlier, either 8.10 or 8.30. I’d remember coming home from a North game after midnight and the replay still being on tv.

West Coast Friday night games from the WACCA were all televised live into Melbourne.

At least late 90's early 00's the Friday night game was on at 8.30 after better homes and gardens while the game itself started at 7.40.

 

[Franc de Borges]

At least late 90's early 00's the Friday night game was on at 8.30 after better homes and gardens while the game itself started at 7.40.

It was that way for a while. Found out the hard way as a kid Vs North in 1992 when my brother and I arrived in time for the 8:30 start, only to find that it was already early in the second quarter.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

At least late 90's early 00's the Friday night game was on at 8.30 after better homes and gardens while the game itself started at 7.40.

Yep. Live footy is a relatively recent thing. Seems crazy now. Things didn’t really start going live until Foxtel got all games.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Yep. Live footy is a relatively recent thing. Seems crazy now. Things didn’t really start going live until Foxtel got all games.

It was that deal with 7 and fox that made all games live.

 

[Gizmo]

My Dad took me to this game when I was a kid. We didn't get in until half time.

I don't really remember anything of the game expect for BT kicking 5. My main memories are of trying to get in, the sound of the crowd from the outside and how bright the lights looked.

 

[Jamolad]

I love that intro - literally the first clip on the sports tape I made when I was 14.

So much in that few minutes, good and bad, that I miss...shirtfronts, suburban grounds, pack-marks, Fitzroy, mud, streamers, "remonstrating". You see the hits and the bumps and stuff and these days it is hard to believe that was the league's officially sanctioned intro.

Love those old ads

pretty good qaulity there from VHS?

I keep expecting the 'tracking' to go out of whack at the top

 

[wagstaff]

I know this is off topic, but seeing as we're reminiscing about days gone past....

Does anyone remember what Ch9s Sunday football used to be (2002 to 2006)

From memory the early 1.10pm game (generally interstate) was shown in full (was it live, can't remember that), with the 2.10pm game at the MCG (or Docklands) shown in a replay/highlights manner from the studio (like they used to do in the 80s/90s) afterwards up to the 6pm news.

That's pretty close to the mark. The 2:10 game was shown a bit like that 1985 match was broadcast; roughly 75% of the match was shown with usually some early excerpts just having highlights.

 

[scottishfiction]

I don't think Friday night games were shown in full until the mid 90s; was usually about 65-75% of the game like this one was.

It is amazing from 1982 to 1986 how much more TV coverage Vic viewers got of the Sydney Swans compared to any other team in the comp.

I wonder why, in part, this is why there's far more South Melbourne going on at Sydney Swans games in Victoria than there is Fitzroy at Brisbane Lions games?

easier to keep following your team if they're actually on tv more than anyone else?

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

That "Playing To Win" clip would be the best footy clip I ever saw. Sensational. North Melbourne seemed to be the club who pioneered Friday Night footy and when it became popular, suddenly there were very few Friday night games for North. I don't think North were very impressed.

 

[scottishfiction]

also, just realised the delineation between saying 'when's the first bounce?' before a game at the MCG and 'we're not gonna make bouncedown!' in WA.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

I remember the WAFL playing Sunday stand alone games for the first time in very early 80’s, maybe 1982.