What day should the games be played?

I was wondering which day of the week would people prefer the matches to be played on. Since Derry started playing in the LOI, there have been games on a Sunday afternoon, Saturday night, Thursday night and now Friday nights. I imagine there were reasons each time the day was changed but is Friday night the best night? It causes loads of problems for away fans trying to get to any games which aren’t Dublin derbies. I guess Sundays were out with the clash with the gaa but why can’t we play on Saturday afternoons? I don’t think the attendances would fall much just because there would be an English match on tv… we can’t get the barstoolers to come to a match when there isn’t another match on tele so there’s no loss there. They manage in the Irish league to play their matches at a sensible time. With summer football, we don’t even have the English league playing matches for half the season. And I don’t think there would be too much trouble with the tv schedules.. TG4 managed to show the Derry rovers cup game on a Saturday night. We could have all the games played on a Saturday afternoon except the televised game which would be played on a Saturday night. What do other people think.. or do you all prefer having to get a half day on a Friday just so you can crawl through Dublin traffic on a Friday evening?

The league tried a couple of seasons ago to implement fixed times for games: the proposal was Friday nights for 1st division and Saturday nights for premier. The clubs couldn't come to agreement on it though.

Saturday Afternoons would take away a huge source of fans with most junior football being played then. Sundays weren't affected too badly as most Suunday games played in the morning

My own preference would be for Saturday nights but in Ddublin, at least, Friday night works best for crowds. Sundays are now a total disaster for Pats

I would prefer a Sunday afternoon kick-off....3.00pm across the card.Brings back childhood memories of heading up to the Markets Field with me old man, or going up to Rathbanein the late 80's for a few pints at the game (when we had a clubhouse):cool:

Saturday night. Makes it a lot easier for travelling

I'd go for Friday night myself as it still gives people the chance to have a weekend with their families without the football interfering. I think it's the best time to attract new fans as well as I think there are too many competing things on a Saturday already in the summer, think of a family that head off to the beach for the day - rules out going to an afternoon match and puts a time constraint on having to be back at home with sufficient time to get to the match.

Saturday all the way. 3pm, maybe with one or two at 7pm.

A couple of games on Saturday evenings with most on Saturday afternoons would be ideal IMO.

Saturday 3pm for me. 3pm Saturday probably has the least clash with tele sport of any kick off time these days...

I think the junior football clash is overplayed tbh. A few vocal pats fans seem to be the only ones that bring it up.... ;)

Friday.
Saturday clashes with kids/ junior football and is also much costlier in brownie points.

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Originally Posted by derrymac

I was wondering which day of the week would people prefer the matches to be played on. why can’t we play on Saturday afternoons? I don’t think the attendances would fall much just because there would be an English match on tv… we can’t get the barstoolers to come to a match when there isn’t another match on tele so there’s no loss there. They manage in the Irish league to play their matches at a sensible time. TG4 managed to show the Derry rovers cup game on a Saturday night?

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It's no coincidence that a fan of a UK-based club wants to play games on Saturday afternoons. That's the only time, that they ever want to play games, because that's the way it's been done for 100+ years, so that's the way it should always be, :rolleyes: even though it only works in England. Whatever about Irish League games, there is no appetite or tradition down here for Saturday afternoon games.

NL games should all kick off on Saturday nights at 8.30/9.00pm, it's the big sociable night of the week, with the least competition from tv. It is the only time you can attract large numbers of away support from the big clubs, fans who can't go to games on Fridays. Playing on afternoons is crap for atmosphere. Despite this, the FAI still insist that we should play all our International home games at weekends on Saturday afternoons, just to ensure that the atmosphere resembles that of a library for the whole game.

Good thread. Football is a weekend game and should be played at the weekend. Thursday night is a disgrace. Friday nights should be for derbies only. It is symptomatic of this league that Cork, Derry and Waterford play each other on fridays:mad: It is not fair on the fans firstly but the part time players have to take time off work as well. Factor in the traffic problems in not only the capital and you have problems.

Harps, Sligo and Longford have the best solution. Saturday night football. Gives you the whole day to get there and the numerous fans who cant make the away trip on friday will be there. There is no tradition of playing games on saturday afternoons here as there is across the water.

Sunday afternoons was the traditional day for LOI football before the "magic" of floodlights came in and clubs started messing with fixtures sometimes at a days notice:rolleyes: Santry next season and hopefully Tallaght the following will be sunday afternoons. Good for 2 reasons IMO: Gives the away fans a day out and they dont have to stay overnight to support their club and sundays are boring generally!! Obviously though if your county is doing well in the All Ireland you dont play on the sunday.......

There should be also uniform kick off times. Like UEFA ALL night games at 7.45 and day games at 3.30. You cant expect to attract new supporters when the kick offs and games are all over the place.

In summary then fridays for derbies and saturday nights and sunday afternoons for the rest.

KOH

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Originally Posted by NY Hoop

In summary then fridays for derbies and saturday nights and sunday afternoons for the rest.

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Sunday afternoons are not much better than Saturday afternoons, with the competition from GAA, and the Premiership. That doesn't work either. It's bad for atmosphere too.

Always thought 5.30pm on a Saturday to be a good time. Spend Saturday morning coaching the kids at the academy, chill out in the afternooon (or travel to an away game). The game is finished by 7.30pm plenty of time to go out on Saturday night proper or travel back home. Also with Friday night away games I've got to get the kids off school early from March to June and from Sept. to November, they love their away games. Sunday can then be spent with her indoors.

Always liked the Friday nights myself, Sunday at 3pm would be a poor 2nd choice for me.

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Originally Posted by mypost

NL games should all kick off on Saturday nights at 8.30/9.00pm, it's the big sociable night of the week, with the least competition from tv.

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That late on Saturday most people will have plans with their wives/girlfriends/mates. 7pm kick-off on Saturday means that games are over early enough not to interfere with "Saturday nights" and late enough to allow people who are occupied during the day to attend.

It is also the best time, and day, for fans travelling a distance too.

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Originally Posted by mypost

Sunday afternoons are not much better than Saturday afternoons, with the competition from GAA, and the Premiership. That doesn't work either. It's bad for atmosphere too.

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Listen you arent gonna to get the barstoolers to come no matter when its on. The GAA argument is a red herring at this stage. Firstly cos how many sundays in our season would there be a major GAA game on? As I said if your county is playing then dont have the game on the sunday. It's not rocket science!

No messing with kick offs either. Plan your life around your club:D

KOH

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Originally Posted by ThatGuy

That late on Saturday most people will have plans with their wives/girlfriends/mates. 7pm kick-off on Saturday means that games are over early enough not to interfere with "Saturday nights" and late enough to allow people who are occupied during the day to attend.

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7pm is too early for an evening ko. We play at 7.45/8pm already, what's so wrong about putting the ko back another (half) hour? :confused: Or does everyone have to be back in bed by 12, like we must obey a curfew or something?

If Saturday night ko's at 8.30/9pm are too late for you, go out another night. As usual, someone's self-interest comes before the good of the league. :rolleyes: :( This "me fein" mentality is why the league is the way it is. :rolleyes:

Well how Thursdays came about is like this. Back in the 1980's when we had massive unemployment Dundalk moved their games to Thursday cause it was dole day. Derry did something similar for the same reason a few years later.

The league requires minimum of 10 days notice if a game is to be rescheduled. This season we played Dublin City at home while Monaghan county were contesting the league final in Croke Park, while a few seasons ago we had the ridiculous situation of playing Galway United in a league game while Galway county were playing the All-Ireland semi-final. With the gaa's more flexible approach to fixtures and the knock-out nature of its main competitions, it is not always possible to avoid a clash.

We have recently switched from Sunday afternoons to Fridays. This was a request from management and players: the players would be under pressure for a result with all the teams around them having played already that weekend, plus they cannot have a few pints on a Saturday night with a game on the Sunday (although the way some of them have played it looks like they didn't let that stop them). Added to that, with a small crowds the atmosphere was so dead, at least under lights the atmosphere is better even with a small crowd.