How can it be "Good" Friday without football?

I'm not going to state my opinion here because it is irrelevant. But can we stop thinking about ourselves or Australia for a whole when considering the importance of Good Friday, footy, or traditional values and think of all the people who will be directly involved. The players, coaches, commentators, referees... Isn't their opinion what REALLY matters here? I'm shocked to see that not a single person suggests taking their beliefs into consideration.

Here is a solution to all...All workers get an extra two weeks holiday to be taken when they like...all people of all faiths can use this two weeks to take thier holy days off work....all others who aren't Christian work on Christmas Day, Easter...and non Muslim work during Ramadan...how long do you think it will be before sport becomes a TV show only with not enough free time to attend the Sunday/Saturday matches?? as those who dont have sabbath are at work on Sundays as the 7 day week will be a roster with rolling 2 days off for everyone ( bit like the FIFO's work now)....so it is pretty soon before community sports will become non- existant as the traditional weekend will disappear( it is happening now with 7 day trading of shops)....so there goes your sports culture of Australia...with the multi faith and multi cultural it will become a 24/7 365 working timetable with those of faith permitted to take thier days of Faith off work without penalty....Western Australia is already experiencing tremendous pressure on the life expectancy of the traditonal sporting club especially the football codes due to the spasmodic availability of the ever growing FIFO workforce....that will be the norm if everyone who does not believe has to give up their Sunday day off and or Christmas or Eastet etc....or has to bow to the almighty consumer life of 24/7 trading!...

There is the truth...spot on...

No Andy it is NOT okay...if you feel that way then why do you take the day off work on Christmas Day and Easter or for that matter even Sunday....if you accept the holiday then respect it reason for being a hol -y-day..and for your information. Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the Chrisitian Faith hence why it is only celebrated in America...its origins are in giving thanks for a succesful harvest and for thanks from the early settlers to the help they got from the native Indians!

Let me pose a question to all of you that support playing any sport and having pubs etc open on Good Friday...Your best friend or mother or spouse is killed tomorrow...are you going to feel like going to a football match?..or playing yourself?...NO you are in mourning out of respect for that person...same way we are not supposed to play sport until 1pm on Anzac Day...you are in mourning and respect for the diggers that gave up thier lives for your freedom...Surely you can from refrain from your own self indulgent pleasure for one day out of respect?...if not why do you take the Good Friday holiday then???...if you dont respect it then go to work instead!!...dont often agree with Demitriou but his comments on ABC radio on Good Friday about AFL continuing to honour the TRUE MEANING of Good Friday was showing very strong leadership....look if everyone doesn't believe and would rather party, go to football, go to pubs and self indulge...go right ahead....we should perhaps give up Good Friday altogether and make it a working day since no-one wants to respect the Holy Day in the word holiday!!

Well, they were both crucified on the weekend!

Well, lets turn the other cheek as you so aptly put it and stop hijacking and corrupting everything, so we can have a game of football to keep a few people happy, on Good Friday. Of course once our belief system is totally over taken by other cultures, we probably won't even be allowed to play footy. Let's all pray that it never comes to that!

Rugby league gods allow league on the Good Friday. We have the Easter Bunnies to lay the golden eggs. While AFL squabbles over good Friday, rugby league marches unopposed. Same as we have 2 Anzac day clashes, then a Anzac Test Match between 2 Anzac nations.

If you really understood the history of your own theology you might not be so offended by my brush ND. Given the annual traditions we are talking about culturally stem from a time in Western Europe when the Catholic Church was the only recognised Christian body, the Protestants and others should be painted the same for simply running with the dates they had established. (I'm leaving the Orthodox churches out of this given Australian traditions are largely those of the British Isles, as this year shows, they have a different date for 'Good Friday', and Christmas- a difference which incidentally shows the relative unimportance of getting the dates of celebration right in comparison to politically outmanoeuvring the rival native religious festivals of Western Europe). My point above is similar to those who have been arguing its simply a 'cultural change' along with and continuing Australia's secular multiculturalism. Towards this point, it may also interest you to learn that BCE is now the officially preferred moniker- but I guess you haven't heard of that?

No, surely you're not comparing the meaning and significance of the events commemorated on Good Friday with the Melbourne Cup? If you are, then you have surely missed the point entirely. You're wrong on another level too, as are the others who have chosen for some reason to make flippant comments on this topic. Whether or not you believe we should have a day off for the Melbourne Cup (and actually I see no reason why it should be a public holiday - after all, there is no holiday for the Grand Prix), the Melbourne Cup is still celebrated on that day. No one disputes the purpose, even if the value is disputed. However, those who deny the purpose of Good Friday, surely cannot then expect to be entitled to a day off for no purpose. The purpose of Good Friday is to allow time to reflect on the crucifixion of Christ and what that has meant for all of us - non-believers included. It is not a day off to celebrate football. It should remain sacred to its purpose, and I applaud the AFL for its principled stand on this matter.

+1 nah, we football fans are just paranoid;)

Or those that hate sport getting Melbourne Cup day off

"the only negative was a wild crowd brawl, that would be front page of the Herald Sun if it was Soccer" .... Aint that the (gospel) truth.

Penalty rates would be the same as every other public holiday that the AFL plays on. I'm sure there are plenty of people, both religious and non-religious, who like spending that day with friends and family. They could still do so. Just because a football game is on doesn't mean people are forced to watch. If some people want to spend the day with their family then they still can. Some people may actually want to spend time with their family at the football. The fact that there is this debate every year would suggests that there are a lot of people who want to watch football on Good Friday though. It's not the AFL directly, but the NRL just had it's largest H&A crowd since 1966 and the A-League got over 20k yesterday, so that would suggest that there is a fair demand for sport on Good Friday

Who needs AFL, we had Rye v Rosebud today, bitter rivals, cracking weather, Rosebud won all 3 grades for the first time in a very long time.....the only negative was a wild crowd brawl, that would be front page of the Herald Sun if it was Soccer, disgusting that after all the deaths we have had due to senseless drunken violence, groups of men kick other men in he head while on the ground, ruined what was a great day, I hope the Police that turned up arrested these cowards.

+1 I thought Demetriou's recent comments about Good Friday were pretty impressive. Maybe people could tape the Thursday game and watch it today like I did? Alternatively, if really desperate, you could have flown to Adelaide and watched Port play Norwood at The Parade today. The whole debate reminds me of an article in Time Out Sydney dedicated to where you can buy takeaway booze on Good Friday. Hilarious and scary!

In america there is always major sport on Christmas day. Thanksgiving is the quiet family day. So if its good enough for the Usa to play sport on a Major Religious Day then it must be ok. Right?

Its not as if the Pope would care if a cricket match took place on Christmas Day. Please refrain from targeting Catholics (or as you refer to it, the Church of Rome) unfairly. We're not the only ones who celebrate Christmas. Even non-religious people like spending that day with friends and family. I dare say that's the real reason. That and the staff penalty rates would be much too high for the MCC.

What about taking labor day off all the non-union members

Or Liberal voters getting Labour Day off.