Is it time for Live televised games at 3pm on a Saturday?

davelfc · #1 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:12 PM

Looking at the fixtures you will notice that we play 8 games until we have a 3pm kick off, even then nothing is guaranteed as Sky can and do change things as they wish. Little thought goes to the travelling fans who just cannot make very early or late kick off's.
I think it could be time to consider selling TV season tickets to fans. With the availability of digital satellite it is now possible to sell individual team live games to fans for a season. You could be watching your team play at 3pm on a Saturday from the comfort of your chair.

There are arguements against this, they (whoever they are) claim that crowds would drop. I'm not so sure. We sell out for all of our Premiership games as it is, away tickets are scarce and we never get enough. Thousands upon thousands of fans flock to pubs to watch the continental channels showing our games LIVE. So even if numbers dropped I am sure there would be more than enough people willing to take their tickets from them.

With just a dish, the right receiver and a channel card bought on the internet you too could be watching LIVE games on your own television each week. Why should that cash be going abroad and out of the game, when with the right deal the money could be going back into football to help some of the less well off clubs or to improve the game.

With this in mind the arguement against is mute, it is high time fans were given the chance to buy their teams games LIVE on SKY.

opinions please?

Bob Spunkmouse · #2 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:17 PM

i concur. i think attendances would drop for some of the lesser games, but as a big club i think we would be able to cope with this and cerainly there are enough people to fill any void.

I think this would only work however if the majority of the money paid for the package went to the team, otherwise the smaller sides would lose out i reckon.

Barry Wom · #3 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:20 PM

i don't see it happening. sky want a product they can sell most days of the week - and if all matches KO'd at 3pm on a sat, they wouldn't be able to do so.

i also think the games on all weekend also act as an advert for the game. so people keep interest in football as a game, rather than just supporting their clubs. most fans would probably end up watching just their own team and nobody else. the game has never been so popular and imo, this is down to the wall to wall coverage provided by sky. i don't envisage any club would want to risk changing this.

Paco · #4 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by DaveLFC

Looking at the fixtures you will notice that we play 8 games until we have a 3pm kick off, even then nothing is guaranteed as Sky can and do change things as they wish. Little thought goes to the travelling fans who just cannot make very early or late kick off's.
I think it could be time to consider selling TV season tickets to fans. With the availability of digital satellite it is now possible to sell individual team live games to fans for a season. You could be watching your team play at 3pm on a Saturday from the comfort of your chair.

There are arguements against this, they (whoever they are) claim that crowds would drop. I'm not so sure. We sell out for all of our Premiership games as it is, away tickets are scarce and we never get enough. Thousands upon thousands of fans flock to pubs to watch the continental channels showing our games LIVE. So even if numbers dropped I am sure there would be more than enough people willing to take their tickets from them.

With just a dish, the right receiver and a channel card bought on the internet you too could be watching LIVE games on your own television each week. Why should that cash be going abroad and out of the game, when with the right deal the money could be going back into football to help some of the less well off clubs or to improve the game.

With this in mind the arguement against is mute, it is high time fans were given the chance to buy their teams games LIVE on SKY.

opinions please?

The pubs have every game through the arabic channels.

Sponky · #5 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:36 PM

im usually at the games anyhow,but it does get to me some saturday afternoons when we are playing away and i aint got a ticket.fighting to see the tele in the local boozer as its the only one with canal or norsk.we should be able to watch our games live no doubt.its about time we all had a channel per premiership team with all games live.when you go abroad on holiday they have everymatch on in one bar alone every saturday afternoon.

Wig · #6 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by Paco

The pubs have every game through the arabic channels.

I was going to say the same thing. If there was a match I couldn't get to last season (at 3pm) i always managed to catch it on the 'crazy' channel as we call it.

TK421 · #7 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by Barry Wom

i don't see it happening. sky want a product they can sell most days of the week - and if all matches KO'd at 3pm on a sat, they wouldn't be able to do so.

Is right. Staggerd kick-off times allow Sky to capture wider audiences. Commercially it doesn't make sense for Sky to show all games on a Saturday at the same time. Of course it's what the fans want but when was that ever important?

PTP · #8 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 04:28 PM

Showing saturday 3o'clock would effect lots of the lower league teams. A good proportion of League One, Two and lower league teams fans support Premiership teams. Lots of these fans may prefer a trip to the local than a 500 mile round trip to Carlisle?

In the Prem I doubt there would be too much of a problem though.

Baz1969 · #9 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by PTP

Showing saturday 3o'clock would effect lots of the lower league teams. A good proportion of League One, Two and lower league teams fans support Premiership teams. Lots of these fans may prefer a trip to the local than a 500 mile round trip to Carlisle?

In the Prem I doubt there would be too much of a problem though.

We have live premiership footie every sat 3pm in Ireland! Roll on the big kick off!

Sangria · #10 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by AlonsosWig

I was going to say the same thing. If there was a match I couldn't get to last season (at 3pm) i always managed to catch it on the 'crazy' channel as we call it.

Watching on the telly is not the same. Its good to see the match but nothing like going to the game. I never miss a game and I can sit and have half a dozen pints costs about 12 euro but I still shell out a couple of hundred quid to get to the games I can manage.
That says it all.

'Kaka · #11 (**permalink**) 11th August 2006, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by PTP

Showing saturday 3o'clock would effect lots of the lower league teams. A good proportion of League One, Two and lower league teams fans support Premiership teams. Lots of these fans may prefer a trip to the local than a 500 mile round trip to Carlisle?

In the Prem I doubt there would be too much of a problem though.

That is the exact reason why there is a closed period on a Saturday afternoon.