Move to Fridays

**Red&White Rover** · 21/06/2006, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by feo123

im sure he'd say that anyway even if he wasn't happy about it!!

no, no, no...its Sean Connor we're talking about...

**Mr A** · 21/06/2006, 1:09 PM

From the outside looking in Sligo's board have a responsibility to play games on whatever night they'll get the biggest numbers through the gates. If that proves to be the case then the move is justified and even if some individuals are put out you can't really argue if the overall crowd is bigger, if not then it is a mistake. If as has been mentioned on here the gates are not what were expected then your board are right to try to do something about it- it remains to be seen whether this is what should be done though, I personally think it won't make much difference either way.

We tried Friday nights for a season and it didn't really help, so we've returned to Saturdays. Overall it's form that decides the crowds, not the night you play on (unless you go completely mad and play on Mondays or Tuesdays of course). The only time I think every club should definately play on a Friday is on Good Friday- the lack of anything else to do always lifts the crowd considerably.

**mypost** · 21/06/2006, 4:42 PM

Originally Posted by Galway Harps

From the outside looking in Sligo's board have a responsibility to play games on whatever night they'll get the biggest numbers through the gates. If that proves to be the case then the move is justified.

The problem is the "experiment" coincides with Home Farm, and then UCD, visiting the Showgrounds. That, and widespread local opposition to it, will mean that crowds won't merely decrease at their Friday home games, they will nosedive, and struggle to recover.

**Rory H** · 22/06/2006, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by mypost

The problem is the "experiment" coincides with Home Farm, and then UCD, visiting the Showgrounds. That, and widespread local opposition to it, will mean that crowds won't merely decrease at their Friday home games, they will nosedive, and struggle to recover.

^^that be true

however if we beat get 2 good results vrs bohs and derry the people of sligo might come out in force in expectant mood in 8 days time

**akearins** · 26/06/2006, 9:35 AM

Just waited to see what the genral concensous was to Friday night football and so far I have not read or spoken to anyone who is in favour of it or can give a reasonable argument for the change.

At the weekend I spoke to many fans and basically what i found was it will not work because of many factors.

First off some fo the lads work shift work and would working Friday nights.MISS GAME

Others working earlier shifts (8-4) said lads they work with who are from outside town would not travel home after work to get cleaned up, eat etc. just to come back into town and have to travel home again.MISS GAME

Lads woking outside Sligo would be working up to 5 or six and wouldnt get trains or buses or make games even if at 8 on Friday evenings.MISS GAME

Apart from these reasons what about travelling support.
I have spoken to many fans from Dublin clubs at ireland games and one and main reason they wanted to see us back in the premier diviison is because we were really the only away game they could travel to with ease as we are on the rail line and many enjoyed the trip out of Dublin.

Now we have already seen the biggest travelling support has been Shels, Bohs and Drogheda.What will happen when we play them again.Will we have decreased numbers.I'd say so.So thats a loss in revenue straight away.
Also when Drogheda came a lot of fans they stayed in the radisson. Did the MC think what effect switching games to Friday evening may have on local economy such as hotels which have knock on effects to other businsses, taxis, pubs, shops etc..Just a consideration when looking for sponsorhip for next season.

Also what about the Astro pitch.Presumably it will be unavailable from 5-10 on match nights as access will be restricted due to any H&S restrictions as in the case of allowing people enter then leave the ground.Thats a big loss of revenue when the club is saying we need to switch to gain revenue.

Add this to the fact that a poll was taken in the champion which voted for Saturday night football, 2 polls online have voted unamimously to stay with Saturday night football and callers to Ocean have also said they want to stick with saturday night football,season tickets were sold under the precednce that fotball was being played on Saturdays too..

So can the club now give us the reason behind switching to Friday nights.A simple public meeting about the issue would have solved all this.

**SligoBrewer** · 26/06/2006, 12:06 PM

clap clap clap...well said!

**sligoman** · 26/06/2006, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by akearins

So can the club now give us the reason behind switching to Friday nights.A simple public meeting about the issue would have solved all this.

I heard Richard Sutherland talking on Ocean FM last Friday and he was saying that people were saying to them why don't we move to Friday's and even desperately mentioned something about communions/confirmations on Saturday's so that was affecting the crowds etc.

.

I seriously doubt anyone asked them to move to Fridays and he obviously didn't know, communions are finished now until next year so that's no excuse

.

It's his job to be promoting the club, has he done anything yet? Apart from selling the wall(which isn't really promoting the club), the answer is no!

.

**SligoBrewer** · 26/06/2006, 12:22 PM

communions...ah 4 fceks sake!!

they have really destroyed the club!

ffs..

**Redzer** · 26/06/2006, 12:41 PM

Lets all burn down the Bishops residance

**pineapple stu** · 26/06/2006, 1:19 PM

Originally Posted by akearins

I have spoken to many fans from Dublin clubs at ireland games and one and main reason they wanted to see us back in the premier diviison is because we were really the only away game they could travel to with ease as we are on the rail line and many enjoyed the trip out of Dublin.

Echoed. Granted, UCD's hardly likely to be your biggest travelling support, but I'm much less likely to be able to head down on Friday now because all my holidays are taken up. And I'm sure I'm not the only Dublin-based fan - of Sligo or otherwise - that this is the case for. Very annoying.

I'm curious as to the reasoning though. (Haven't read all five pages other than to ascertain that youz are curious too). The attendances thread has Sligo up in third in the league in attendances, yet this move seems to be out of disappointment with crowds. So either the figures there are hugely overexaggerated or a newly promoted club is unhappy enough with being the third best-supported team in the country to annoy, it seems, at least a good chunk of its support. Any concrete reasons at all?

**gustavo** · 26/06/2006, 1:36 PM

I think they were expecting average crowds of around 3,000 this season and that hasnt materialized thats one of the reasons anyway

**pineapple stu** · 26/06/2006, 1:50 PM

Really? What a stupid expectation! There's no way Sligo will get those figures unless they start to mount a title challenge, which you're a fair way off doing at present. And they reckon changing to Friday will suddenly make everything better? They should work for the FAI!

**sligoman** · 26/06/2006, 2:01 PM

The FAI are partly at fault here, if they want the league to become more professional then they wouldn't let teams change fixture days in the middle of a season.

**pineapple stu** · 26/06/2006, 2:23 PM

Is it on a trial basis then? I think we're playing youz at the start of August - is that game definitely moved to Friday?

**sligoman** · 26/06/2006, 2:27 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Is it on a trial basis then? I think we're playing youz at the start of August - is that game definitely moved to Friday?

Trial basis yes. Our next four home games-Dublin City, Cork, UCD and Bray are all on Fridays. After that, if it hasn't worked, then they're moving back.