Wtf is this all about. In the Sunderland echo today: Challenges outlined to EFLand non-league clubs Meanwhile, lunchtime kick-offs for weekend league and FA Cup matches would be considered by clubs in the EFL and the wider football pyramid to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, a new survey has found. Sixty-three per cent of 40 clubs – including 12 EFL teams – surveyed by football reform group Fair Game over the last fortnight said they would consider earlier kick-offs to help reduce energy bills as the hours of daylight diminish, if they were given permission. The Government has pledged to support businesses with rising energy costs, but it is unclear whether this will benefit football clubs or how long any support will last, and concern about the cost-of-living crisis among clubs outside the Premier League remains high. Overall, clubs rated their concern about the cost-of-living crisis at seven out of 10, rising to more than eight out of 10 among League Two teams. Sixty per cent of the 40 clubs are considering halting ground improvement work as a result of the crisis, while 38 per cent are preparing to look at their non-playing staff budgets. ———————————- So we may have to kick off at lunch time?
Heard this on radio other day, some league 2 and 1 clubs probably most affected by this, shocking that this is what it has come too.
Other than needing to put flood lights on I’m not sure I see the big saving in moving kick off from 3pm to lunchtime. They aren’t heating the stadiums and any indoor concourse areas the lights would be on regardless. Am I missing something obvious? Economy 7 for heating the after match bath?
Urrrr my 13 year old son, SC holder for 3 years, tends to kick-off anytime between 9am and 12am... that's a NO from the 2 of us.
How much do floodlights cost to run The government /premier league should support the cost of converting to LED bulbs where necessary, as I guess most old grounds run on very old tech
Great point. I got sunburn at a couple of home games this season and the floodlights we’re on for both of them! Regardless of how much it costs, that’s just a massive waste to me
Didn't we play a lot of lunchtime K Os during the year of discontent in the 70s when there was a fear of the lecky being off later in the day, my memories not what it was mind but this has got to be a cost cutting idea and for smaller clubs on limited cash flow it could work.
I don't enjoy lunch time kick offs but if it saves on energy then we might have to suck it up. I’m more concerned about the 38% of clubs who are looking at their non-playing staff budgets. I hope we aren’t one of them. The last owners decimated our support staff and look what happened to the pitch, shop and ticketing.
Being a shift worker, it's hard enough trying to sort time off for matches with the way they f**k about with the kick off times as it is.
Deffo played Liverpool in a cup game early in the day. I know cos we were told anybody missing from school that afternoon would be caned the next day in front of everybody in assembly. Guess the headmaster did not have the energy to cane 60 odd of us haha.
And it would bypass the 3pm rule of no televised matches, meaning they could sell the rights to broadcast games online, making ****nloads of money for the EFL. Or am I being cynical?
The amount of "vloggers" that go to games now, and record the whole thing on their phone....if they all turned their torch on we wouldn't need floodlights!!
From a purely business sense for myself, it’d be a good thing (for my gigs) but I don’t want it!! I love the 3pm Saturdays as a traditionalist!!
