Friday Night Football

Started by Minus15, June 08, 2021, 08:45:42 PM

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Minus15

I see some recent debate in various places with regard to football on a Friday night.

I have often thought how fortunate we are in Down to play our football on a Friday night for most of the year. Train Monday & Wednesday. Match Friday.

Some counties may not have the luxury of being able to make such a move with vast travelling distances involved.

Work is so much more enjoyable on a Friday knowing you have the game to look forward to that evening. Whatever the weekend holds in store, the game on a Friday night can turn a good weekend into a great one.

Not surprised to see the likes of Tyrone making the change this year and trust this is popular with players and spectators alike.


Louther

Often think there has to be some balance. Friday or Saturday games some weekends and Sunday games others. If fixtures are planned ahead this can work well for all.

I know the situation in Down and know one manager who went there for a year and said within a few weeks it was very hard to manage once county players went into county set up after April. Game Fridays, training Monday was trying to get drink out from weekend, as summer went on Mondays got poorer in terms of attendance, Wednesday you couldn't do much with game Friday. He felt that some balance needed as players basically drank Friday, Saturday and Sunday and interest waned.

samuel maguire

Quote from: Minus15 on June 08, 2021, 08:45:42 PM
I see some recent debate in various places with regard to football on a Friday night.

I have often thought how fortunate we are in Down to play our football on a Friday night for most of the year. Train Monday & Wednesday. Match Friday.

Some counties may not have the luxury of being able to make such a move with vast travelling distances involved.

Work is so much more enjoyable on a Friday knowing you have the game to look forward to that evening. Whatever the weekend holds in store, the game on a Friday night can turn a good weekend into a great one.

Not surprised to see the likes of Tyrone making the change this year and trust this is popular with players and spectators alike.



I totally agree with you in regards to Friday night games. I play club football in Armagh and all of our games are fixed for 2pm Sunday for the rest of the summer. It makes for a long boring weekend. We train on a Friday night, and then i spend most of my Saturday sitting about the house trying to put the day in, while firing as much water and pasta into me as I can. It's difficult especially when half of my friends group play their football in Tyrone. They can all head out to the pubs or whatever and have a pint and the craic while enjoying the good weather in a beer garden. It makes it even more difficult when there is sport on a Saturday evening as it would be nice to take a few pints while watching it. Not looking forward to the Euros for this particular reason. I work hard Monday-Friday and work close to 50 hours a week and feel like I've wasted the weekend by sitting in the house and doing nothing but waiting. As I work in Belfast, having a couple of drinks on a Sunday just isn't worth it, as I'm up from 530am and I will suffer for the rest of the day/week.
After the year we have all had it would be nice to have the weekends to yourself to do as you please. I have a christening this weekend and again I will be going tea total while the rest of my friends/family enjoy the craic and a drink. I have played football from i was 4 years of age with my club, but I am seriously considering dropping off the panel this year., The rest of the summer is looking pretty grim and i really don't know if it is worth the sacrifice anymore, I don't enjoy it like i used to as it is becoming more of a chore than anything.

Milltown Row2

This is were I messed up, all our games were a Sunday, so heading to the game after only getting into the house to pick up my gear at 12pm, after a weekend on the lash certainly held me back, though I did have a long senior career for the club, I just struggle to remember the games lol

Had this chat the other night about how I should have looked after myself better and, maybe did more strength and conditioning, stayed off the drink at least on the Sat, and I suppose when I got married I did manage things better, but I really enjoyed the craic too.

Its a balance and when you are playing both codes we would have had games on the Wed (either football or senior hurling) and Sunday (either football or senior hurling) right through, I'd have played in other teams also which would have had me out Monday night ( beer belly league hurling) and Thursday (beer belly league football), add in training and it was a busy week. So when it came to Friday and Sat night I was ready for going out.

At club level playing games on a Friday night would have been great, but you have loads of factors to look at, county players, logistics, getting from say Ballycastle to Portaferry on a Friday night is just madness. Players jobs too.

Sunday for me suits best, a earlier start too would be better, 12pm, done dusted and in the pub by 3 lol
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Ea

Taylor

Quote from: Milltown Row2 on June 09, 2021, 10:21:04 AM
This is were I messed up, all our games were a Sunday, so heading to the game after only getting into the house to pick up my gear at 12pm, after a weekend on the lash certainly held me back, though I did have a long senior career for the club, I just struggle to remember the games lol

Had this chat the other night about how I should have looked after myself better and, maybe did more strength and conditioning, stayed off the drink at least on the Sat, and I suppose when I got married I did manage things better, but I really enjoyed the craic too.

Its a balance and when you are playing both codes we would have had games on the Wed (either football or senior hurling) and Sunday (either football or senior hurling) right through, I'd have played in other teams also which would have had me out Monday night ( beer belly league hurling) and Thursday (beer belly league football), add in training and it was a busy week. So when it came to Friday and Sat night I was ready for going out.

At club level playing games on a Friday night would have been great, but you have loads of factors to look at, county players, logistics, getting from say Ballycastle to Portaferry on a Friday night is just madness. Players jobs too.

Sunday for me suits best, a earlier start too would be better, 12pm, done dusted and in the pub by 3 lol

Surely Saturday evening games would be better?

bigarsedkeeper

Quote from: Louther on June 09, 2021, 09:49:16 AM
Often think there has to be some balance. Friday or Saturday games some weekends and Sunday games others. If fixtures are planned ahead this can work well for all.

I know the situation in Down and know one manager who went there for a year and said within a few weeks it was very hard to manage once county players went into county set up after April. Game Fridays, training Monday was trying to get drink out from weekend, as summer went on Mondays got poorer in terms of attendance, Wednesday you couldn't do much with game Friday. He felt that some balance needed as players basically drank Friday, Saturday and Sunday and interest waned.

That sounds like a tough group he worked with, maybe the game night wasn't the problem.

Down has some advantages in that most don't have to travel as far for work and if you are division 1 the longest trips are Newry to Downpatrick. Gets a bit messy the further you go down the leagues, St Michaels to Ardglass would be a right trip. When I started playing it was match on Friday, training Sunday morning then Tuesday and light session on Thursday. Thankfully most of them have stopped that.

The GAA (including the LGFA and camogs) engulf weekends for families, other sports take one morning but we spread out over the whole weekend. Some love it but it's not for everybody. Even breaks every so often would help out.

ardtole

Ardglass to st michaels is a long spin alright. But an advantage of the friday night games were that lads working in Belfast etc could travel directly from work. So not as awkward for some, obviously this doesnt apply for everyone.

bigarsedkeeper

Quote from: ardtole on June 09, 2021, 11:19:45 AM
Ardglass to st michaels is a long spin alright. But an advantage of the friday night games were that lads working in Belfast etc could travel directly from work. So not as awkward for some, obviously this doesnt apply for everyone.
Yeah or even working in Dublin isn't that far away from the south Down clubs. Lads in Derry wouldn't have that advantage.

Even from a spectator point of view now the Friday evenings are good socially too.

thewobbler

Down might not be the size of Cork.

But there are plenty of drives of an hour, to an hour and a half, and you just learn to go early or do what you can to avoid rush hour traffic if you're gathering on the other side of the county for 6.30.

Can everyone really knock off work at 5pm every Friday to do this? Well that's that thing. It's not every Friday that you've got the long away trip. It's a handful of Fridays a year. It is doable.

The comments from the trainer above are interesting, but look closer and they're also an excuse. Playing on Sunday doesn't change a club's drinking culture. It just moves it to Sunday night.

general_lee

Seeing this debate going on with Armagh on Twitter and and a county player (who funnily enough can't play for his club) calling for Friday/Saturday night games. The reality is you can't please everyone all of the time. What I would say though is if you're raging you can't drink every weekend then maybe senior football isn't for you.

Personally I think Friday night games should be used as and when they are practical. If two clubs are within 15/20 mins of each other then they should be given a Friday night fixture. Any club with suitable floodlighting should be given Friday night fixtures for their home games.

Saturday games are a bit different. If you've lads playing soccer, you may well be forcing them to choose. Also younger lads, students etc with part time jobs. Are you going to ask them to sacrifice their income to come play and possibly sit on the bench? Also the thing on the drinking culture. The lads in our club don't need a second invitation. They might go at it of a Sunday after a match, but they'll be working Monday and training Tuesday. If they went at it of a satry you can guarantee Sunday will be another pint show. Makes Monday training almost pointless.

Taylor

Quote from: general_lee on June 09, 2021, 09:35:02 PM
Seeing this debate going on with Armagh on Twitter and and a county player (who funnily enough can't play for his club) calling for Friday/Saturday night games. The reality is you can't please everyone all of the time. What I would say though is if you're raging you can't drink every weekend then maybe senior football isn't for you.

Personally I think Friday night games should be used as and when they are practical. If two clubs are within 15/20 mins of each other then they should be given a Friday night fixture. Any club with suitable floodlighting should be given Friday night fixtures for their home games.

Saturday games are a bit different. If you've lads playing soccer, you may well be forcing them to choose. Also younger lads, students etc with part time jobs. Are you going to ask them to sacrifice their income to come play and possibly sit on the bench? Also the thing on the drinking culture. The lads in our club don't need a second invitation. They might go at it of a Sunday after a match, but they'll be working Monday and training Tuesday. If they went at it of a satry you can guarantee Sunday will be another pint show. Makes Monday training almost pointless.

If thats the case then maybe senior football isnt for you

johnnycool

Quote from: thewobbler on June 09, 2021, 12:16:09 PM
Down might not be the size of Cork.

But there are plenty of drives of an hour, to an hour and a half, and you just learn to go early or do what you can to avoid rush hour traffic if you're gathering on the other side of the county for 6.30.

Can everyone really knock off work at 5pm every Friday to do this? Well that's that thing. It's not every Friday that you've got the long away trip. It's a handful of Fridays a year. It is doable.

The comments from the trainer above are interesting, but look closer and they're also an excuse. Playing on Sunday doesn't change a club's drinking culture. It just moves it to Sunday night.

I think lads in their 20's and 30's are entitled to a social life too, but I have to say I always preferred the Sunday afternoon games where back in the day our senior hurlers and reserves played their games on the same day against the same opposition in the Antrim League. Reserves at 2 with the seniors at 3.30pm. It was a day out for the whole parish and families either way.

congested fixture calendars at IC level put an end to that.

TabClear

Quote from: Taylor on June 10, 2021, 07:34:39 AM
Quote from: general_lee on June 09, 2021, 09:35:02 PM
Seeing this debate going on with Armagh on Twitter and and a county player (who funnily enough can't play for his club) calling for Friday/Saturday night games. The reality is you can't please everyone all of the time. What I would say though is if you're raging you can't drink every weekend then maybe senior football isn't for you.

Personally I think Friday night games should be used as and when they are practical. If two clubs are within 15/20 mins of each other then they should be given a Friday night fixture. Any club with suitable floodlighting should be given Friday night fixtures for their home games.

Saturday games are a bit different. If you've lads playing soccer, you may well be forcing them to choose. Also younger lads, students etc with part time jobs. Are you going to ask them to sacrifice their income to come play and possibly sit on the bench? Also the thing on the drinking culture. The lads in our club don't need a second invitation. They might go at it of a Sunday after a match, but they'll be working Monday and training Tuesday. If they went at it of a satry you can guarantee Sunday will be another pint show. Makes Monday training almost pointless.

If thats the case then maybe senior football isnt for you

But surely a Friday night game gives these lads the option of both? Personally I never played soccer because I could not afford it when I was living at home because I needed the Saturday work to pay the bills as a student. I played football on a Sunday so that was fine.

I know plenty of older guys who are happy with the Friday night because they now have Sunday with the family. Even if you are training its an hour/90 min at 10/11 in the morning an then the rest of the day free rather than away for six hours for an away game if you are involved in both games.

Armagh18

Lads haven't been fit to go out on a Saturday for over a year. Let people have lives and play football, have games friday or saturday ffs. Not difficult.

themac_23

Quote from: Milltown Row2 on June 09, 2021, 10:21:04 AM
This is were I messed up, all our games were a Sunday, so heading to the game after only getting into the house to pick up my gear at 12pm, after a weekend on the lash certainly held me back, though I did have a long senior career for the club, I just struggle to remember the games lol

Had this chat the other night about how I should have looked after myself better and, maybe did more strength and conditioning, stayed off the drink at least on the Sat, and I suppose when I got married I did manage things better, but I really enjoyed the craic too.

Its a balance and when you are playing both codes we would have had games on the Wed (either football or senior hurling) and Sunday (either football or senior hurling) right through, I'd have played in other teams also which would have had me out Monday night ( beer belly league hurling) and Thursday (beer belly league football), add in training and it was a busy week. So when it came to Friday and Sat night I was ready for going out.

At club level playing games on a Friday night would have been great, but you have loads of factors to look at, county players, logistics, getting from say Ballycastle to Portaferry on a Friday night is just madness. Players jobs too.

Sunday for me suits best, a earlier start too would be better, 12pm, done dusted and in the pub by 3 lol

Friday night games would be difficult in Antrim seeing as we have hurling and football to get in. as you say for example this week is football week so games last night then to ask lads to go again Friday would be tough going. I actually like the Sunday games. id prefer a 12 or 1 throw in then go for a few pints but take it easy with work on the Monday. if im going for something to eat or that on the Saturday night with the Mrs il drive just and doesn't bother me. suppose its different for younger lads though.