Would you be in favour of Summer Football

[GreenCastle]

This seems to be brought up every winter but seems with the SPL struggling right now financially and with crowds - not to mention games still being postponed even with undersoil heating - is it time to change the structure of our season

Current Leagues I know of play through Summer - feel free to add

USA
Russia
Ireland
Norway
Faroes
Sweden
Finland


Pros -

• Cheaper for clubs - less costs during the winter with heating and lights
• No fixture congestion - currently many games are crammed in during winter months
• Easier for fans to travel
• Better playing surfaces / pitches = quality better ?
• Opportunities to attract more tourists ? Edinburgh Festival etc
• Would attract more youths to games? Parents willing to take them when weather was more manageable

Cons -

• Different to the majority of world football calender
• International Tournaments (though only last a month or so)
• Complications with transfer windows
• Change to the status quo / tradition

Discuss please....

[ManBearPig]

Common sense dictates that we should play in summer. Would make more sense all round the transfer window and european games could cause some problems, but nothing compared with all the problems we already face in winter. Just the thought of a nice sunny day to go to ER would make the performances of late easier to swallow.

Would also help if the boys clubs etc followed suit, my son's games are constantly cancelled even with all weather pitches. This would hopefully eventually help in bringing through young talent.

[mca]

"Summer" Football - but we would need to move to another country

[Andy74]

The only game I recall being cancelled recently was in the summer - due to heavy rain. The only others I can recall that should have been cancelled were also in the summer, due to heavy rain.

We now play during July and end in late May so we'd only be talking about adding June and possibly missing one month in the winter. When would you time that to avoid the cold and dark? What odds would it really make? Some are talking as if we have 8 months of endless sunshine!

Interesting that in Ireland the crowds stayed round about the same.

[Mickey Edwards]

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The only game I recall being cancelled recently was in the summer - due to heavy rain. The only others I can recall that should have been cancelled were also in the summer, due to heavy rain.

We now play during July and end in late May so we'd only be talking about adding June and possibly missing one month in the winter. When would you time that to avoid the cold and dark? What odds would it really make? Some are talking as if we have 8 months of endless sunshine!Interesting that in Ireland the crowds stayed round about the same.

No , but we have 8 months of grass growth

[TheEastTerrace]

Pretty sure the Russian league is planning to move the season in line with the rest of Europe.

I still think it is the quality of football and the sheer boredom of the SPL that are the two main drivers for poor crowds.

[marinello59]

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The only game I recall being cancelled recently was in the summer - due to heavy rain. The only others I can recall that should have been cancelled were also in the summer, due to heavy rain.

We now play during July and end in late May so we'd only be talking about adding June and possibly missing one month in the winter. When would you time that to avoid the cold and dark? What odds would it really make? Some are talking as if we have 8 months of endless sunshine!

Interesting that in Ireland the crowds stayed round about the same.

If only our crowds were staying about the same, fans are deserting in droves. Standards have improved by a fair bit over there. Their clubs are doing better in Europe and more talent is being produced for their International side. . Summer fitba is a no brainer for me. Better weather and better pitches means better football. Given the ultra conservative mindset of a large number of Scottish football fans and our small minded administrators it is unlikely to happen here any time soon though.

[Andy74]

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No , but we have 8 months of grass growth

Okay, so just adding June to the season and taking out one winter month will have a big effect on the grass, and sufficient that it's worth changing the traditional season which has lasted over a hundred years?

I don't really buy that. I think its something that sounds great when you think about summer football until you actually analyse what that means in Scotland. Nothing really.

[Andy74]

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If only our crowds were staying about the same, fans are deserting in droves. Standards have improved by a fair bit over there. Their clubs are doing better in Europe and more talent is being produced for their International side. . Summer fitba is a no brainer for me. Better weather and better pitches means better football. Given the ultra conservative mindset of a large number of Scottish football fans and our small minded administrators it is unlikely to happen here any time soon though.

So after over a hundred years it's playing over a winter month and not an extra summer month that's chasing crowds away?

Nah, doesn't add up for me.

[marinello59]

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So after over a hundred years it's playing over a winter month and not an extra summer month that's chasing crowds away?

Nah, doesn't add up for me.

You have ignored my main point which is that standards would improve.
Your 'hundred' years comment is just the type of comfort blanket too many people involved in our game wrap round themselves. The fact it's always been that way is meaningless when our game is dying a slow painful death unless we do make revolutionary change.

[Phil D. Rolls]

I think it is necessary simply to have our teams playing in Europe. When Shamrock Rovers are in the group stages of the UEFA League in front of Scottish teams, it tells us all we need to know.

[Sir David Gray]

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The only game I recall being cancelled recently was in the summer - due to heavy rain. The only others I can recall that should have been cancelled were also in the summer, due to heavy rain.

We now play during July and end in late May so we'd only be talking about adding June and possibly missing one month in the winter. When would you time that to avoid the cold and dark? What odds would it really make? Some are talking as if we have 8 months of endless sunshine!

Interesting that in Ireland the crowds stayed round about the same.

Totally agree with this.

I don't think that our summers are good enough, nor are they reliable enough, to warrant this move taking place.

Temperatures in Scotland in July and August are quite often barely any better than they are in October and even, as was the case this year, November.

[iwasthere1972]

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Totally agree with this.

I don't think that our summers are good enough, nor are they reliable enough, to warrant this move taking place.

Temperatures in Scotland in July and August are quite often barely any better than they are in October and even, as was the case this year, November.

Nothing to do with matches clashing with Wimbledon then.

[Andy74]

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You have ignored my main point which is that standards would improve.
Your 'hundred' years comment is just the type of comfort blanket too many people involved in our game wrap round themselves. The fact it's always been that way is meaningless when our game is dying a slow painful death unless we do make revolutionary change.

No, I think you'd need to expalin to me how switching a summer for a winter month would lead to standards improving.

Just sounds like talk to me.

Standards used to be okay also playing during the same months.

I still think this theory is based on some fanciful notion that this would somehow extend the Scottish summer.

As I've said we already play up to mid May and start in July.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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Totally agree with this.

I don't think that our summers are good enough, nor are they reliable enough, to warrant this move taking place.

Temperatures in Scotland in July and August are quite often barely any better than they are in October and even, as was the case this year, November.

They are still better than the temperatures in December and January though.

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No, I think you'd need to expalin to me how switching a summer for a winter month would lead to standards improving.

Just sounds like talk to me.

Standards used to be okay also playing during the same months.

I still think this theory is based on some fanciful notion that this would somehow extend the Scottish summer.

As I've said we already play up to mid May and start in July.

Yes, we used to reach the semi finals of European competitions. However, using the performance of teams from other leagues as a benchmark, it is evident we have fallen by the wayside.

Part of the problem is that our clubs have to play preliminary games against teams that are half way through their season. They are going at full tilt, whilst our lot are still getting into gear.

It means that we can't qualify for money making ties against European teams. This means there is less to invest in the clubss, and so the downward spiral continues.

Weather isn't what's keeping people away from the games it's the lack of excitement. During the close season, we could start still have short tournaments, such as the League Cup, and have room for traditional New Year's derbies.

Imagine how much more intreresting things would be if we could pit our wits against the likes of Benfica, Ajax and Udinese, for arguments sake. As things stand, I can't be bothered switching the telly on to see some of the matches that are shown.

The Scottish League is like one of those social clubs that is still run by the same committee that ran it 30 years ago. They refuse to move with the times, and wonder why their membership is dwindling. Backed up by a group of diehards, they can't see that there is something fundamentaly wrong.

[marinello59]

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No, I think you'd need to expalin to me how switching a summer for a winter month would lead to standards improving.

Just sounds like talk to me.

Standards used to be okay also playing during the same months.

I still think this theory is based on some fanciful notion that this would somehow extend the Scottish summer.

As I've said we already play up to mid May and start in July.

One month? If we followed the Irish model it would be the three months which generally have the worst weather that we would no longer play in. There are a growing number of coaches in senior football calling for this change as standards will improve. They certainly know more than me. But maybe not you.

[Andy74]

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They are still better than the temperatures in December and January though.



Yes, we used to reach the semi finals of European competitions. However, using the performance of teams from other leagues as a benchmark, it is evident we have fallen by the wayside.

Part of the problem is that our clubs have to play preliminary games against teams that are half way through their season. They are going at full tilt, whilst our lot are still getting into gear.

It means that we can't qualify for money making ties against European teams. This means there is less to invest in the clubss, and so the downward spiral continues.

Weather isn't what's keeping people away from the games it's the lack of excitement. During the close season, we could start still have short tournaments, such as the League Cup, and have room for traditional New Year's derbies.

The Scottish League is like one of those social clubs that is still run by the same committee that ran it 30 years ago. They refuse to move with the times, and wonder why their membership is dwindling. Backed up by a group of diehards, they can't see that there is something fundamentaly wrong.

That's more about the timings of when competitions start - that's a bit different from this thought that magically the pitches are all going to beautiful and filled with silky footballers with the sun on thir backs playing to crowds in their t shirts flooding in to get a sun tan at ER.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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That's more about the timings of when competitions start - that's a bit different from this thought that magically the pitches are all going to beautiful and filled with silky footballers with the sun on thir backs playing to crowds in their t shirts flooding in to get a sun tan at ER.

Yeah, I've never fancied the idea of picnicing at Easter Road. I did enjoy playing Maribor on that balmy night though. It was a pleasure going to the match, and remained so for the first 35 seconds.

[PaulSmith]

Yes.

[Hibbyradge]

Friday night football in the summer might be a winner.

[Saorsa]

Yes for me, cannae be ersed sitting about on freezing nights in pishy weather for midweek games, particularly when watching pishy fitba.

[iwasthere1972]

I believe that the poll results speak for themselves and although it's still early I can't see the percentages changing that much.

YES 80%
NO 20%

[soupy]

100% YES, I'm sick of freezing my hee haws off watching dross fitba, at least when its a bit warmer its mire bearable :-)

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

If it just ends up watching the same dross but in shirt sleeves, I don't see the point in changiing. I would go and watch Hibs in the North Pole if we had a decent enough side.

[Mickey Edwards]

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Okay, so just adding June to the season and taking out one winter month will have a big effect on the grass, and sufficient that it's worth changing the traditional season which has lasted over a hundred years?

I don't really buy that. I think its something that sounds great when you think about summer football until you actually analyse what that means in Scotland. Nothing really.

please buy it and convince others to buy it due to 2 facts.

a}undeniably the surfaces will be consistently better as grass will grow during the bulk of the season. Grass does not grow below 6 celsius.

This will give advantage to the passing technical game . By avoiding December Jan Feb, pitches will have a chance to recover between games because the grass will grow.

b}athletes can train harder and practice for longer in warmer temperatures with longer hours of daylight.

The players will be better prepared in training and they will be quicker during games. Track athletic records are set in warmer temperatures. Many sportsmen include warm weather training in their calendar to optimise performance . Nobody would travel to Scotland for a warm weather training camp but the players have a better chance of improving standards by operating in warmer temperatures.

May , June and July need to be included as the height of our season, possibly with 2 games per week. Of course the weather is not uniformly excellent at those times but the temperatures are warmer in general ; in fact Scottish summer weather I would argue is the perfect temperature for football usually between 10 to 15 celsius.

For the moneymen festive period tournaments , exhibition games in Dubai or any other imaginitive aggressive marketing strategies are possible.
Scottish football has been inferior to most other nations virtually since the WW2 and possibly was before that although it was difficult to make comparisons then ; I am not particularly impressed by the 100 year old tradition of which you speak although it is interesting to read about it.

[hibs0666]

Summer football is a total and utter no-brainer for Scotland.

[greenlex]

No.
Fittba - winter
Gowf - summer.

Winter is crap enough without having nae fitba to go to.

[Alfred E Newman]

I can think of a hundred better things to do on a summers afternoon in May, June, or July than watch football. This fanciful idea that adding the month of June to our season would suddenly transfom scottish football is nonsense. There is more wrong with the game up here than that. Surely it is far better for the season to start and finish in the summer months than start and finish in the winter months. A switch to summer football certainly would put us on a par with those great leagues like Ireland, the Faroes and Finland and relegate us once and for all to the backwaters of European football.

[frazeHFC]

Summer football? No thanks.

Summer is my time for golf and holidays, not football.

[Franck is God]

I'm quite frankly stunned that we still play football in winter and those that believe that we want summer football so we can play on bright sunny days in June are mistaken.

Sitting in the freezing cold is simply not a pleasant experience, between March and October the temperature rarely gets below 10c which means the grass is always growing and yes there are rainy days in the summer but far fewer than in winter and because it's warmer it dries a lot faster.

No brainer to me.