Question re SCG

[monopoly19]

Apart from the 3 night games at Stadium Australia next year, does anyone know why we have so many night games at the SCG also? I don't know if I'm remembering wrong, but I always thought the majority of SCG games were on Sunday afternoons. This season, of the 12 Sydney games, only 4 are at the SCG on Sundays. It's not a big deal really (though I do enjoy Sunday footy more), but I'm just wondering if there's a reason for it.

[DST]

Re: Question re SCG

Originally posted by monopoly19
Apart from the 3 night games at Stadium Australia next year, does anyone know why we have so many night games at the SCG also? I don't know if I'm remembering wrong, but I always thought the majority of SCG games were on Sunday afternoons. This season, of the 12 Sydney games, only 4 are at the SCG on Sundays. It's not a big deal really (though I do enjoy Sunday footy more), but I'm just wondering if there's a reason for it.

Certainly is a reason and that is the AFL has an agreement with Channel 10 to do a minimum number of games a season for Sydney and Brisbane directly back into their markets.

With Channel 10 only covering Saturday & Saturday night games and with them wanting cover the melbourne game on delay in Victoria that leaves the AFL with the only choice to schedule the games on Saturday night, hence we very rarely play outside this time.

This will be the case until the end of the current television agreement. If ratings do pick up in Sydney and we continue to play a great brand of winning football, you may see Channel 9 ask to the AFL to schedule more Swans games on a Sunday but they will be pretty unlikely (in relation to ratings).

DST

[lescygnes]

being the ultimate of non-morning people, especially on a sunday, this move is fantastic.

i mean, its hard to get enthusiastic about anything, let alone a game of footy at some ungodly hour of the day. and yes, a 12:30 start on a sunday is ungodly. well for me anyhoo.

its a pity its too late for me, i wont see any games live this year at all! not unless a game is rescheduled for BC Place Vancouver, or the Big O in Montr?al!!!!

cheers
John

[bricon]

The problem with playing matches on Sunday arvo these days is that they must start at 1:10 to fit in with Channel Eddie?s programming requirements in NSW and Queensland. The early starting time has proven to be hugely unpopular with Sydney crowds.

[floppinab]

I'm not sure if TV programming is the only reason.

We had 5 home day games last year, 7 in 2002, 9 in 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 and probably most of the prior years as well.

As a person who like to take young kids to the footy you simply can't do it to these night matches. I was disappointed with the 5 last year but four this year I really angry about. My main beef is that the Swans dropped their request for 6 Sunday games which they had on last years fixture. To go from the "traditional" 9 games down to 4 is pretty disappointing.

The trouble is I'm pretty sure the Swans are getting better crowds during the night games, which I would guess a major contributor to which has been the early starts on a Sunday. And I would guess members with young families are a pretty small minority among the membership base.

But given that a motivator for getting the Swans to Sydney was Sundy arvo footy it's disappointing that this "tradition" is being lost.

[Ryan Bomford]

Well, the 12:40 starts back in seasons '96, '97, '98 used to pull near-capacity crowds. I think the fan demographic has probably changed over the last few years but if we've got a decent side we could probably get a reasonable crowd on a Monday afternoon.

I too will personally miss the extra Sunday avo games. There is just something special about watching the Swans under a clear, sunny Sydney winter sky.

[robbieando]

I thinks its to do with Live TV coverage, than crowds because this season the biggest SCG crowds tended to be the 1pm starts. If the Sunday starts were moved to 2pm Sunday the FTA coverage would be non existant and thats something the club can't afford do to in marketing terms and plus those in Victoria without Foxtel would be pissed off at yet another kick in the face.

These problems have many issues to factor in and frankly the unpopular nature of the 1pm starts isn't that important if people still attend matches starting at this time in a compaitive nature to say night matches. The down side if crowd figures were effected and the club decided no more 1pm starts would be that they would move all home matches to Saturday Night, and not hold matches at 2pm Sunday.

Still why not 2pm Saturday, it would give us a daytime start that all fans like, and we would have a LIVE TV slot still.

[lescygnes]

lets face the truth, the entire reason behind 1pm starts on sundays at the moment is because of nine's rugby league commitments in NSW and Qld.

we cant have anything/anyone upsetting the game of the day starting at 4pm, now can we!

but Robbie, saturdays arent such a bad idea, and its not like there are a plethora of games on in melbourne at the time to stop it!

cheers
John

[robbieando]

Originally posted by lescygnes
lets face the truth, the entire reason behind 1pm starts on sundays at the moment is because of nine's rugby league commitments in NSW and Qld.

This is the main reason we have 1pm starts, move them forward to 2pm and you can kiss goodbye Channel 9 wanting to show the match LIVE into Sydney. Also with Channel 9 wanting to show as much of the 2nd match as possible, 1pm starts are our only option on a Sunday if we want nation wide LIVE FTA coverage.

we cant have anything/anyone upsetting the game of the day starting at 4pm, now can we!

Of course not, despite the ground the Swans have made in NSW in the last 8 years, NSW is still a League state and as such the NRL has first dibs on the Sunday afternoon TV slot at 4pm.

but Robbie, saturdays arent such a bad idea, and its not like there are a plethora of games on in melbourne at the time to stop it!

Over the last 2 years there have been plenty of Saturday Afternoon matches in Perth. From all reports they rather play more Saturday Night matches and Sunday Afternoon matches. Their is no reason why the club couldn't play 2 or 3 Saturday afternoon matches at the SCG a season.

cheers
John [/B][/QUOTE]

[lescygnes]

what are peoples thoughts about twilight games? personally, i am a big fan, but there would be no live coverage of it in Sydney. Cant delay the news now, its not like its cricket or anything! also, not too late for the kiddies either, i would imagine?!?!!?

imagine how different the world would be if Kerry Packer was a Swans fanatic????

Cheers
John

[anne]

There is some agreement that prevents Saturday afternoon games being played at the SCG for football. I can't remember who the agreement is between. Obviously the AFL and someone. Besides who cares when the games are on - at least they are in Sydney! I would go at midnight if more were on down here. I am still upset about only getting 5 games for 2004 as well as for the forseeable future.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Originally posted by lescygnes
what are peoples thoughts about twilight games? personally, i am a big fan, but there would be no live coverage of it in Sydney. Cant delay the news now, its not like its cricket or anything! also, not too late for the kiddies either, i would imagine?!?!!?

It's not so much the lateness it's that the night games tend to be mid season (eg mid winter). I take my Dad to the games and because of his age he feels the cold of the night games (especially at Telstra ~ that place is much colder than the SCG).

[floppinab]

Temperature is definately an issue as well, the prime reason why my 65 year old father in law won't go to the night games either. It's disappointing for him, he's a veteran footy lover and SFL player from waaay back.

Besides who cares when the games are on - at least they are in Sydney! I would go at midnight if more were on down here. I am still upset about only getting 5 games for 2004 as well as for the forseeable future.

Well I care anne, due the reasons I mentioned in another post but similar to the Vic members, we are in the minority, and so our needs come last before the rest. It doesn't stop us from getting angry about it but it is a fact of life I guess.
I'd like to try and argue about the future Swans supporters (i.e. the kids) being cut off from the game, but that falls pretty flat really when there is so much latent support lieing around in other groups.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Originally posted by floppinab
Temperature is definately an issue as well, the prime reason why my 65 year old father in law won't go to the night games either. It's disappointing for him, he's a veteran footy lover and SFL player from waaay back.

I bought my dad thermal longjohns and skivvy at Gowings and between that and a little whiskey he's still able to attend. He's 78 next month so he'd still prefer day games (me too actually) but we just have to do the best we can.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by robbieando
Still why not 2pm Saturday, it would give us a daytime start that all fans like, and we would have a LIVE TV slot still.

NEVER mate! Saturday arvo in Sydney is complete different to Saturday arvo in Melbourne. Whilst down there footy of a Saturday is an institution, here Saturday is more a chill-out kinda day, where lots of people play sport, work or just recover the the partying the night before.

The NRL completely did away with ANY Saturday daytime football at all because crowds were so crap.

Sydney is a city that doesn't live and breathe footy, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

Interesting the topic of match starts has been brought up here as well. I have just been discussing it on The Power from Port.com.

I personally far enjoy the Saturday night matches. I don't have to go to work the next day, can get into the mood by watching some of the footy from Melbourne before hopping into the 355 bus, can have a kick to kick on the Bus Stop Oval before the match if I want. And can generally go to matches in a relaxed frame of mind (sometimes too relaxed!!!)

I vehemently dislike the 1pm starts. It sounds weird but that extra hour makes a huge difference, especially to somebody whose weekend sleep-ins verge on being scared. People don't get in and settled until 10-15 minutes into the first quarter. And the atmosphere is generally crap, because people are still stressed from having to rush to get to the ground in time etc etc.

Personally I'm just over the SCG as a sporting venue at the moment. Had we had the cricket test at Stadium Australia over 75000 could have seen Steve Waugh bat, and not had to put up with steroid-taking Nazis in pale blue shirts ejecting you for getting up on the seats chanting "Aussie Aussie Aussie" or turning beer cups into a 'snake'.

JF