The annual should we or shouldn't we play AFL on Good Friday is doing a run on Bigpond sport/news....
Good Friday footy, yay or nay?By Adam Jones
Friday, April 06, 2012
Source: BigPond SportThe big questionThe AFL has steadfastly refused to consider playing a game on the Friday before Easter, citing an overriding responsibility to family traditions. Church leaders tell us it's a disrespectful notion. Even footballers are divided.
But the issue won't go away. Earlier this week, Kangaroos CEO Eugene Arocca reaffirmed North Melbourne's desire to host a Good Friday game. Is it time for the AFL to move with the times?
ForHere's an incomplete list of sports being played on Good Friday around the world: rugby league (NRL), soccer (English Premier League), baseball (MLB), basketball (NBA), golf (The US Masters), Test cricket (Sri Lanka v England) and motorsport (MotoGP).
That's a fairly convincing argument in itself. It's not like the AFL has to worry about being trailblazers. On the contrary, the league looks flat-footed in comparison, and the NRL's participation alone should have them diving in.
Until they do, we're a bunch of bored channel surfers on Good Friday. Primetime is a wasteland if you're not into league or charity, and a good bit of night footy would almost certainly rate through the roof.
A night game would also allow the church-going to attend to their duties during the day, while the less inclined can sleep off their hangovers. For the secular Aussies, the Friday before Easter is just another public holiday and a pretty disappointing one at that. Being deprived of footy on one of the most restrictive days on the calendar is tough to swallow.
Meanwhile, a Good Friday game would give one of the less cashed-up clubs the chance to pull in some dough. If done correctly it could also be a boon for the Good Friday Appeal.
AgainstThere's charm in an odd anachronism here and there. Sure, we've got video technology, interchange stewards and a substitute per side now, but our goal umpires still wave flags and we still bounce the ball.
The absence of Good Friday football hearkens back to the time of suburban leagues, before footy became the professional package it is now. That's something worth holding on to.
It's also great for grassroots footy to have a day to itself. The VFL was set to test the waters in 2012 until the Bendigo council stepped in, but the WAFL, SANFL and NEAFL will all stage matches. Assuming the VFL gets it together next season the AFL can spin Good Friday as a day to support your roots, and what a terrific idea that is.
The league also needs to be mindful of its impact on the broader infrastructure. Playing on Good Friday means one fewer day off for train drivers, food vendors, ground employees, sports journalists, camera operators, statisticians, security guards, delivery drivers, AFL record floggers and the blokes who play the bagpipes.
Oh, and the players. If the current playing group represents a cross-section of Australian society then reason holds that at least some consider themselves deeply religious and would therefore prefer not to play. An informal survey of captains in 2009 showed that nine were in favour of Good Friday football and seven were opposed. That isn't a mandate for change.
Our verdictThis is a tough one. On the one hand, a Good Friday game would go a long way to reviving one of our most disappointing public holidays. On the other, the game has had more than enough modern development for now.
This issue crops up every year and every year the debate achieves nothing, so it's time to put it to rest. Sorry fans but Andrew Demetriou is right – the AFL doesn't need Good Friday football.
http://www.bigpondsport.com/good-friday-footy,-yay-or-nay/tabid/91/newsid/86388/default.aspx
