Should lower League clubs look to moving Saturday kick offs to midday in order to save on electricity? Clubs wouldn’t possibly need to have the floodlights on if it is a fairly reasonable day.
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Earlier kickoffs would likely result in lower attendances so depends on how much they’d be saving if they then lost income from less people attending.
Depending on distance can see a lot of away fans not bothering and home supporters that live further away.
And speaking personally, the best bit of the Saturday is usually the few hours down the pub bantering and having a few drinks with friends and family. Tends to not be as fun if you’re doing it after a loss.
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I’m not sure it would make too much difference with attendances (certainly not to me, doesn’t matter if 12 or 3) and if clubs are forced into it to cut costs, most people would probably get behind it.
In the winters of 1973 and 1974 (I think it was both, but it might just have been the one) some midweek games kicked off in the afternoons. There were lots of spectacularly low attendances.
I’m not sure if the reason was to save electricty use on the floodlights, or because power cuts were scheduled for the area of the football ground.
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Told ya the other week that this would likely happen.
Makes sense from the clubs point of view.
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Pretty sure Gillingham did this last season
Gillingham tend to do it in winter too more than any club I’ve ever seen. 2pm Kick offs.
Looking at their fixtures, they did it throughout the most of the COVID season and i remember their fans saying it was because they didn’t want the extra cost of the floodlights.
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Slightly off topic, but remember Tranmere always used to play on Friday nights?
Still do. Stockport next.
No the pub doesn’t open early enough to cater for these kick off times.
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Well we aren’t saving energy tonight, floodlights on from the start in blazing sunlight
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I said the same.
Not wasting my time travelling to watch this is feeling justified at the moment. Sitting on my settee streaming it is bad enough!
Well done to those who ventured out!
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A really good idea, wouldn’t need to be as early as 12 though. Perhaps 1pm through Dec/Jan and then 2pm Nov and Feb, and even then there are some days in the middle of winter when the weather is grim where it barely gets light so would still probably require some lighting.
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Excellent idea.
Pennies need to be pinched everywhere
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Not something I would like to see.
As Rob mentioned above, we have the floodlights on when not needed as it is. During the bleak mid-winter it doesn’t get light enough not to have them on any way a lot of the time.
Would be interesting to calculate what they could potentially save. I could live with 2PM if it makes any difference. Any earlier I would consider asking for a partial refund on my season ticket.
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If it comes to rationing of the electricity supply and if regular power cuts become a part of life as they were in the early 70s then we might have no choice, but assuming it isn’t mandatory I wouldn’t want it.
Midday or early kick offs would mean a very early start for out of area fans and away supporters.
One o clock kick off at Hartlepool or Gillingham or Plymouth in the middle of winter anyone?
I like 15.00 on a Saturday, and 19.45 on a Tuesday.
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I wonder if the club are on a fixed tariff at the moment.
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This is a very good point. One leisure facility local to me is on a fixed tariff until September 2023. They just about have enough income to cover costs right now. They tell me that, come September 2023, they are currently looking at energy costs more than quadrupling from the current rate they pay, and these costs form nearly 50% of their overall costs.
As for early kick-offs, it may well be a necessity for those outside the money leagues.
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