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Good Friday footy is coming, but do we need it?

16th June, 2014
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Gillon McLachlan, Chief Executive Officer of the AFL (left) and Mike Fitzptarick, Chairman of the AFL announce Good Friday football. (Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media)
Expert
16th June, 2014
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1335 Reads

With a change of CEO at the AFL it was always likely that Good Friday footy would be played.

Andrew Demetriou always opposed it, but his successor Gillon McLachlan, who officially took over earlier this month, has seemed to be more in favour of playing AFL on the holiest and most religious day of the year.

It’s happening now and although there is and will continue to be opposition to this move, it’s set to become an important part of the AFL.

A number of clubs will be angling for this match and hope to make it their own and that’s the way it should be. Just like Anzac Day, the Geelong and Hawthorn clash on Easter Monday and Dreamtime at the G between Essendon and Richmond.

This column recently proposed that two of the lower profile Melbourne clubs like the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne get the nod.

However, with the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal going hand in hand with Good Friday, it would also be appropriate for the AFL to honour this outstanding cause by staging the annual battle between North Melbourne and Carlton. They are the two sides located closest to the hospital.

There’s no doubt the majority of the Melbourne teams will be targeting headquarters to be part of this match, but do we really need an AFL match between late March and September on every public holiday?

The Easter weekend is a packed enough as it is, with matches on Thursday night, Saturday, Sunday and Easter Monday.

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A rest on Good Friday makes sense and, as well as celebrating numerous religious festivities and embracing the hospital appeal, it gives local footy a chance to shine.

Country and suburban leagues schedule matches on this day every year and while AFL has not been played, these competitions have benefitted financially.

Kyneton and Gisborne in the Bendigo Football League in North West Victoria is an example of having made this contest their own and have attracted excellent crowds.

There is no doubt that will be compromised by the introduction of an AFL match on Good Friday.

Local footy has already suffered badly over the years with pay television keeping people at home to watch the AFL.

These competitions deserve their own day to shine, but won’t have that now. The game will always draw good crowds, regardless of the two teams, but it will only be a novelty factor in the early days. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Good Friday football was just another cash cow for the AFL.

Those that follow the game avidly generally love it, even though it’s not as good to watch now. But it would have been nice to have a rest on Good Friday.

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Tuesday and Wednesday on normal working weeks are still AFL football free days, but for how long?

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