Saturday afternoon

[Bunk Moreland]

For mine, it gets forgotten that this is possibly the single biggest football tradition that has gone by the wayside.

The 2pm (or 2:08, 2:10, 2:20, etc) Saturday timeslot used be the be-all and end-all of footy. Almost every game of football, all around the country, was played at this time.

For 2pm until 5pm on a Saturday, it was footy time. That’s when you went to the footy, or listened to it in radio, or whatever. Everything else stopped.

Now it’s largely dead air. The AFL do put one game on at this time most weeks, but it’s barely ever a meaningful, high quality game.

If there’s a Thursday night game, it’s often this game that makes way for it, which indicates ratings are poor.

Finals have been completely removed from this timeslot with the Thursday night qualfying final.

Personally I prefer it - I’d rather go to the local footy on a Saturday arvo.

What do you reckon? Do you miss it? What’s your reaction when your team is drawn in the traditional timeslot? Like or not?

 

[Bomberboyokay]

No great mystery why it fell away. Became a TV sport and people usually aren't parked in front of the TV at 2pm Saturday (12pm in WA). Generally the worst rating game in any given round.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

It's my preference as well. That's from someone who attends games and doesn't have other obligations on Saturday afternoons though. It's so much more pleasant on a sunny afternoon at the footy on a winters day than the cold evening or night.

The crowds do seem to be better for late starts and Saturday night games at Spotless. Less so l in Canberra where nights can be very cold though. It is TV largely driving the schedule as well. Just something to live with I think, sadly it wont change.

 

[CholEstrol]

Was easier times no doubt. Hit the clubroom after a b grade game, grab a beer or 6 and look up at the 30" Pye color tv to check the progress of all the games. Then footy was done for the weekend finishing with a relaxing 18 holes on Sunday. Tomorrow wont be ralaxing for me. Ill do stuff but my adrenalin will be too high for a Sunday - ending in 2 hours of extreme adrenalin. Then about 1 minute after the final siren a travel show will suddenly appear and the come down is massive (win or lose). Then the sinking feeling that Monday is only a sleep away.
Yeah I prefer Sat afternoon games but times change I guess.

 

[Cincinnatus]

What the * is this thread?

Most weeks there is a game at 1.45 and 2
10. In the bye weeks its just 1.45.

Why are you lamenting something that isnt even gone?

On a full round you can watch wall to wall footy from 1.45 until 10pm (sometimes later if a WA game on sat night).

What do you actually want?

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

What the **** is this thread?

Most weeks there is a game at 1.45 and 2
10. In the bye weeks its just 1.45.

Why are you lamenting something that isnt even gone?

On a full round you can watch wall to wall footy from 1.45 until 10pm (sometimes later if a WA game on sat night).

What do you actually want?

It's a very different perspective for those who attend games as opposed to watching on TV.

 

[Andre]

For watching live it’s ok, you can still do something different in the evening. The twilight games are s**t, not enough time to do anything in the afternoon and cuts too much into the evening. Watching on TV not so great, would rather be doing something Saturday afternoon.

I wonder if it’s partly a result of so many of us being in front of screens for work the whole week during the day? Sure it’s for entertainment, but if it’s an evening game you still at least get to feel you had non-screen stuff during the daylight hours.

 

[parmy2balmey]

i usually spend my saturday afternoons getting high at the local men’s shed, then doing a bit of woodwork if you get my drift

 

[Who are ya]

It’s one tradition I’m glad the AFL got rid of. As someone who prefers to follow my local club, it definitely helps increase crowd numbers, bar sales etc with no afl being played at the same time. Being in Geelong you definitely notice the difference at a local game depending on whether the cats are playing at home on a Saturday arvo or not.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

My favorite timeslot is 1.45 Saturday and 1.10 Sunday.

But 2.10 Sunday should return instead of 3.20 leading into the news s**t 7 do.

 

[emblurr]

It was only until 1987 that Saturday retail trading was permanently established in Victoria . Most retail shops shut at noon so there was sweet FA to do except go to the football.

https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/saturday-afternoon-trading/

 

[PerthBoy86]

Ridiculous how Channel 7 in Melbourne doesn't show any Sat'dy arvo games. Who wants to see bloody horse racing instead?

 

[halalsnackpack]

Channel 7 killed it when they put it on delay when they got the rights in 2012, now not shown at all on FTA.
Even up until 2011 there was usually a big Victorian clash on Channel 10 on a Saturday arvo.
Pretty sad to be honest

 

[Cincinnatus]

It's a very different perspective for those who attend games as opposed to watching on TV.

I attend games too. So sometimes I need to turn up for a 1.45pm start, other times its 2.10pm....

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

I attend games too. So sometimes I need to turn up for a 1.45pm start, other times its 2.10pm....

Your post was all about TV so I assumed.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

What the **** is this thread?

Most weeks there is a game at 1.45 and 2
10. In the bye weeks its just 1.45.

Why are you lamenting something that isnt even gone?

On a full round you can watch wall to wall footy from 1.45 until 10pm (sometimes later if a WA game on sat night).

What do you actually want?

It’s just a friendly conversation about how much the game has changed. Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale. It’s all good.

 

[Andrew Mc]

My favorite timeslot is 1.45 Saturday and 1.10 Sunday.

But 2.10 Sunday should return instead of 3.20 leading into the news s**t 7 do.

Yeah, I like those 2 timeslots too - Sydney used to get heaps of the early Sunday arvo games.

The 3:20's will continue though - even if 7 lose the footy, whoever it is will want that lead in.

 

[Cincinnatus]

It’s just a friendly conversation about how much the game has changed. Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale. It’s all good.

The game has somehow changed because now in addition to a 2.10pm timeslot there is also a 1.45pm timeslot?

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Ridiculous how Channel 7 in Melbourne doesn't show any Sat'dy arvo games. Who wants to see bloody horse racing instead?

If Seven Melbourne show a Saturday afternoon game you're not getting a Sunday afternoon game.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Channel 7 killed it when they put it on delay when they got the rights in 2012, now not shown at all on FTA.

That wasn't Seven that was the AFL doing a deal with Foxtel so that game was delayed on FTA in the 'AFL states'.

Even up until 2011 there was usually a big Victorian clash on Channel 10 on a Saturday arvo.
Pretty sad to be honest

For all people's fond memories of Channel 10 their games into a home market were always delayed.

Live games everywhere on FTA didn't become standard practice until 2012. And it was the AFL blocking it.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The game has somehow changed because now in addition to a 2.10pm timeslot there is also a 1.45pm timeslot?

Every single game used to be at this time. Now there’s 1 or 2, and they’re almost always poor, low profile games.

Yeah, I’d say that’s a change.

Just taking about what people think of the “traditional” timeslot and whether it works for them. Chillax.

 

[FootyJunkie]

NFL still respect the hell out of their equivalent 1pm Sunday starts...

 

[JohnZ]

I see no reason why we can't have

1 Thursday Night
1 Friday Night
1 Saturday Twilight/Night
1 Sunday Arvo/Twilight
1 Rolling Bye

And the remaining 4 games played at 2.10pm

Oh wait, I know why....Ground rationalisation. To do this, you'd have to play all of the FTA "Blockbuster" time slots in Melbourne, otherwise there wouldn't be enough grounds to go around.

Bunk Moreland that's why it has gone by the wayside.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

NFL still respect the hell out of their equivalent 1pm Sunday starts...

They also have 8.20pm Thursday, 4.05pm Sunday, 4.25pm Sunday, 8.20pm Sunday, 8.15pm Monday, 32 teams not 18 and for reasons that aren't worth getting into here don't play on Saturdays until late in the season. And a 6.30pm Sunday Super Bowl.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

I see no reason why we can't have

1 Thursday Night
1 Friday Night
1 Saturday Twilight/Night
1 Sunday Arvo/Twilight
1 Rolling Bye

And the remaining 4 games played at 2.10pm

Oh wait, I know why....Ground rationalisation. To do this, you'd have to play all of the FTA "Blockbuster" time slots in Melbourne, otherwise there wouldn't be enough grounds to go around.

Bunk Moreland that's why it has gone by the wayside.

They never have more than 2 games at once because they want people to watch as many games (and ads) as possible. If every team magically got their own stadium that wouldn't change.