J
jsp2283
Guest
Scheduling of Matches
On the domestic front, there are many issues that also reflect the insular narrow minded thinking of the ARL/NRL. The policies are, in my view short sighted and lacking real vision for the future.
Television, but only in NSW and Qld, drive the scheduling of matches.
Crowds at games and season ticket holder numbers are not increasing and are down in many circumstances.
Why?
As a former Knights season ticket holder, I enjoyed going to the footy on a Sunday afternoon. The occasional Friday night match or Saturday night was OK but Sunday was my preferred time to watch footy. I believe that analysis of crowd numbers on various days would suggest that most Knights fans shared my preference for Sundays. So what happens? The NRL and Fox negotiate Monday night football and schedule a lot of the Knights games on Monday in 2007.
I have no interest whatsoever in attending matches on a Monday night. So why would I purchase a season ticket not knowing how many games would be so-scheduled?!!
I really believe that the round should finish on Sunday. If there must be an additional television round why not schedule it on Thursday night, as the opening game of the round?
North Queensland Cowboys seem to prefer playing matches on Saturday night. Their crowds reflect that. Newcastle seem to prefer Sundays. Why can the NRL not survey the clubs and schedule matches, as far as possible, on the preferred day/night of the home team.
Why can't games be scheduled at the start of the season? If the TV stations are concerned about having high rating teams on Friday night, it would not be too difficult to predict that teams such as the Broncos will draw good ratings for the foreseeable future. At least then fans considering buying season tickets can see what they are, in fact, purchasing.
The AFL has had long term expansion plans for many years. They make decisions and then stick by them and support them to ensure success.
When the VFL first started to air Saturday matches in NSW the ratings were low. But did they give up.? No, they relocated the Swans from South Melbourne to Sydney. At first the crowds were modest, but the AFL persisted. The Swans now have a strong supporter base in NSW and the junior development and number of kids playing AFL is increasing in NSW.
Similarly the AFL has expanded into traditional areas such as WA and SA and into less traditional areas such as Brisbane and, soon, the Gold Coast.
Meanwhile the NRL dumped the Western Reds and the Adelaide Rams and concentrated its efforts in Qld and NSW.
If Rugby League wants to expand it MUST do so sooner rather than later.
And it must stipulate that free to air contracts ensure live coverage in Melbourne and Adelaide and Perth and Darwin
This would increase the appeal to advertisers.
It could also be the vehicle to drive reform to the competition game scheduling to ensure a fairer competition than the present NRL scheduling provides.
My suggested proposal is to plan for a 2010 expansion of the competition to 20 teams. Forget the howls of there not being enough quality players around. of course there are ~ they just need to be given the opportunity. When players such as Brad Fittler, Gordon Tallis and Andrew Johns retire, others are given the opportunity and new stars emerge. The expansion will just allow more players the opportunity.
Retain the current 16 teams.
Add a second team from NZ, located in Wellington. That would lift the game's profile in NZ and allow one match to be played in NZ each weekend. Far from being a threat to the warrior's survival, a second team would strengthen the standard of player in NZ. NZ Players may return from Superleague or may elect to play for one of their 2 home teams instead of heading abroad. But as always, some Australian imports would be required to balance the teams.
Add (or reinstate) a team from each of the cities of Perth and Adelaide. Then support them so they can grow and be successful and develop supporter bases and junior player competitions.
Finally add a team based in Gosford to make use of that stadium facility and to be supported by or owned by John Singleton and his promotional expertise.
Having set up 20 teams, re-schedule the competition.
19 rounds. Each team plays each other team once. 9 home games/10 away games one year; 10 home games / 9 away games the next year. That is fair.
Suspend the competition for 4 weeks and play the rep games on a Friday night. The fans won't dessert the game! They will appreciate that their club team is being treated fairly and not being disadvantaged by SOO selections.
So play 5 rounds
Then have a free weekend. Play SOO1 on Friday night. Possibly play NSW City vs. NSW Country Origin 1 on the Saturday night or Sunday (at a country venue). Players selected from NRL players not in the origin teams.
Then play a further 3 rounds.
Then have another free weekend and play SOO2 on Friday night. Possibly play a Qld City vs. Qld Country Origin 1 on the Saturday night or Sunday (at a country venue). Players selected from NRL players not in the origin teams.
Then play a further 3 rounds.
Then have another free weekend and play SOO3 on Friday night.
Then play a further 3 rounds.
Then play the Trans Tasman Test on a free weekend.
Then play a further 5 rounds.
Then play the final series ~ consisting of an 8 team series.
That schedule has a few less rounds. It would be easier on the players.
It would be fairer to all teams.
It would embrace an Australasian (Australia & New Zealand) presence.
There would be no byes, but there would be free weekends when non-rep players would get a spell.
With 10 games available each weekend for TV, there could be:
On the domestic front, there are many issues that also reflect the insular narrow minded thinking of the ARL/NRL. The policies are, in my view short sighted and lacking real vision for the future.
Television, but only in NSW and Qld, drive the scheduling of matches.
Crowds at games and season ticket holder numbers are not increasing and are down in many circumstances.
Why?
As a former Knights season ticket holder, I enjoyed going to the footy on a Sunday afternoon. The occasional Friday night match or Saturday night was OK but Sunday was my preferred time to watch footy. I believe that analysis of crowd numbers on various days would suggest that most Knights fans shared my preference for Sundays. So what happens? The NRL and Fox negotiate Monday night football and schedule a lot of the Knights games on Monday in 2007.
I have no interest whatsoever in attending matches on a Monday night. So why would I purchase a season ticket not knowing how many games would be so-scheduled?!!
I really believe that the round should finish on Sunday. If there must be an additional television round why not schedule it on Thursday night, as the opening game of the round?
North Queensland Cowboys seem to prefer playing matches on Saturday night. Their crowds reflect that. Newcastle seem to prefer Sundays. Why can the NRL not survey the clubs and schedule matches, as far as possible, on the preferred day/night of the home team.
Why can't games be scheduled at the start of the season? If the TV stations are concerned about having high rating teams on Friday night, it would not be too difficult to predict that teams such as the Broncos will draw good ratings for the foreseeable future. At least then fans considering buying season tickets can see what they are, in fact, purchasing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NSW-Qld RL, NRL or Australasian RLThe AFL has had long term expansion plans for many years. They make decisions and then stick by them and support them to ensure success.
When the VFL first started to air Saturday matches in NSW the ratings were low. But did they give up.? No, they relocated the Swans from South Melbourne to Sydney. At first the crowds were modest, but the AFL persisted. The Swans now have a strong supporter base in NSW and the junior development and number of kids playing AFL is increasing in NSW.
Similarly the AFL has expanded into traditional areas such as WA and SA and into less traditional areas such as Brisbane and, soon, the Gold Coast.
Meanwhile the NRL dumped the Western Reds and the Adelaide Rams and concentrated its efforts in Qld and NSW.
If Rugby League wants to expand it MUST do so sooner rather than later.
And it must stipulate that free to air contracts ensure live coverage in Melbourne and Adelaide and Perth and Darwin
This would increase the appeal to advertisers.
It could also be the vehicle to drive reform to the competition game scheduling to ensure a fairer competition than the present NRL scheduling provides.
My suggested proposal is to plan for a 2010 expansion of the competition to 20 teams. Forget the howls of there not being enough quality players around. of course there are ~ they just need to be given the opportunity. When players such as Brad Fittler, Gordon Tallis and Andrew Johns retire, others are given the opportunity and new stars emerge. The expansion will just allow more players the opportunity.
Retain the current 16 teams.
Add a second team from NZ, located in Wellington. That would lift the game's profile in NZ and allow one match to be played in NZ each weekend. Far from being a threat to the warrior's survival, a second team would strengthen the standard of player in NZ. NZ Players may return from Superleague or may elect to play for one of their 2 home teams instead of heading abroad. But as always, some Australian imports would be required to balance the teams.
Add (or reinstate) a team from each of the cities of Perth and Adelaide. Then support them so they can grow and be successful and develop supporter bases and junior player competitions.
Finally add a team based in Gosford to make use of that stadium facility and to be supported by or owned by John Singleton and his promotional expertise.
Having set up 20 teams, re-schedule the competition.
19 rounds. Each team plays each other team once. 9 home games/10 away games one year; 10 home games / 9 away games the next year. That is fair.
Suspend the competition for 4 weeks and play the rep games on a Friday night. The fans won't dessert the game! They will appreciate that their club team is being treated fairly and not being disadvantaged by SOO selections.
So play 5 rounds
Then have a free weekend. Play SOO1 on Friday night. Possibly play NSW City vs. NSW Country Origin 1 on the Saturday night or Sunday (at a country venue). Players selected from NRL players not in the origin teams.
Then play a further 3 rounds.
Then have another free weekend and play SOO2 on Friday night. Possibly play a Qld City vs. Qld Country Origin 1 on the Saturday night or Sunday (at a country venue). Players selected from NRL players not in the origin teams.
Then play a further 3 rounds.
Then have another free weekend and play SOO3 on Friday night.
Then play a further 3 rounds.
Then play the Trans Tasman Test on a free weekend.
Then play a further 5 rounds.
Then play the final series ~ consisting of an 8 team series.
That schedule has a few less rounds. It would be easier on the players.
It would be fairer to all teams.
It would embrace an Australasian (Australia & New Zealand) presence.
There would be no byes, but there would be free weekends when non-rep players would get a spell.
With 10 games available each weekend for TV, there could be:
- A Thursday night game ~ Fox
- 2 Friday night games ~ 9
- A Saturday afternoon game at 3.00 pm ~ Fox
- A Saturday late afternoon game at 5.30 pm
- 2 Saturday evening games ~ Fox
- A game telecast from NZ each Sunday (2 NZ Teams) played at 2pm NZ time and shown live at 12.00 noon is Eastern Australia ~ Fox
- 2 Sunday afternoon games one beginning live at 2pm (Fox) and one beginning live at 4pm (9)
