Winter World Cup

[Noel Edmonds]

watching the game on a sunny WARM Saturday afternoon instead of a cold wet dark January afternoon

Crowds in Scotland are proportionally world leading under the current timetable, and in fact the biggest crowd boosts of the season can be expected in the early January period. This is not a credible pro-point for summer football.

 

Less cost for the clubs for US Heating

Less cost to the club for Floodlights

 

All major clubs in Scotland already have USH due to it being a requirement for Premier League entry, so there would be no additional costs to clubs in this sense. Games will be played in the dark regardless of whatever fixture schedule was opted for, so the small amount that would be saved on floodlighting is not significant enough to warrant a complete shift in the football calendar. Neither of these are credible pro points for summer football.

 

Better playing surfaces

 

You've already stated yourself that pitches in Norway begin the season in a poorer condition than can be expected in a traditional, July-May fixture timetable. Moreover even in summer football the climate in Scotland is not such that the standard of pitches would remain pristine or anything close to it throughout the year. This is not a credible pro-point for summer football.

[Noel Edmonds]

What are the cons??

Here's just one of many. The English transfer window this summer closed just one day after Scotland's. One single day. Yet this was enough to impact negatively on Scottish clubs hoping to sign English players who would have been holding out for the best deal open to them. Archibald himself stated that he missed out on an English-based striker late in the transfer window for this reason. Imagine the state a summer football calendar would therefore leave us in in terms of the country's standard of player, and our ability to trade with English clubs. Edited September 20, 2013 by Noel Edmonds

[scotty]

But what are the cons?

(ok you gave us one while I was posting)

Edited September 20, 2013 by scotty

[jaggybunnet]

 

than the winter months??? Yes, you said yourself that in Norway they have to use the equivalent of sunlamps, that costs money

How often have you seen the lights on in a 3pm kick off at Firhill between March and end September? not at 3 but a bit later and IIRC a few games last season, my point was that it can happen

Less chance off call offs than what we have now of last seasons seven games called off three were for flooding one for fog and am sure that two were for snow, cant remember the what the other one is

People go on holiday all year round now but mostly take there kids away in the summer

Worse surfaces than playing through the winter months?? at least they can recover in the alleged better weather in the summer

 

 

 

 

 

[Noel Edmonds]

But what are the cons?

(ok you gave us one while I was posting)

Have another. Why should we install a system that has no evidently positive impact on crowds? Moreover, why should we take this risk especially when our crowds are proportionally world-leading? It would be absolute lunacy to take such a risk. Edited September 20, 2013 by Noel Edmonds

[Norgethistle]

Here's just one of many. The English transfer window this summer closed just one day after Scotland's. One single day. Yet this was enough to impact negatively on Scottish clubs hoping to sign English players who would have been holding out for the best deal open to them. Archibald himself stated that he missed out on an English-based striker late in the transfer window for this reason. Imagine the state a summer football calendar would therefore leave us in in terms of the country's standard of player, and our ability to trade with English clubs.

 

Norway operates the exact same transfer window as the EPL

[lady-isobel-barnett]

What I found rather amazing was how many people thought the proposed air conditioned stadia the Qataris were promising was in some way revolutionary. Clearly a lot of so called football experts have never set foot in Broadwood.

[Norgethistle]

Crowds in Scotland are proportionally world leading under the current timetable, and in fact the biggest crowd boosts of the season can be expected in the early January period. This is not a credible pro-point for summer football.

 

That is due to the Holiday period and the fact it is derby day

 

All major clubs in Scotland already have USH due to it being a requirement for Premier League entry, so there would be no additional costs to clubs in this sense. Games will be played in the dark regardless of whatever fixture schedule was opted for, so the small amount that would be saved on floodlighting is not significant enough to warrant a complete shift in the football calendar. Neither of these are credible pro points for summer football.

 

How will games be played in the dark? From March to End of September apart from games to suit TV or postponed games we would play significantly less under floodlights with next to none on a heated pitch the cost of running floodlights and undersoil heating is massive, hence the reason some clubs although having it installed don't switch it on if they believe the game will be a low attendance

 

You've already stated yourself that pitches in Norway begin the season in a poorer condition than can be expected in a traditional, July-May fixture timetable. Moreover even in summer football the climate in Scotland is not such that the standard of pitches would remain pristine or anything close to it throughout the year. This is not a credible pro-point for summer football.

 

The more northerly clubs do, Viking does too but that is more due the way the ground is designed (always in the shadow of the domed stadium), Brann in Bergen and Haugesand don't and they are not much more north than Aberdeen, it works in Sweden and even the league of Ireland has seen a boost in attendances with the Northern Irish league looking to follow suit

 

I think it would do no harm to do a proper study into it, also from May to August you arent competing with the EPL armchair and pub watchers for punters

[Noel Edmonds]

Norway operates the exact same transfer window as the EPL

And if they were as reliant on trade with English clubs as Scotland were, they'd be properly buggered in the same sense that Archibald was with the striker he was hoping to bring in.

[Noel Edmonds]

That is due to the Holiday period and the fact it is derby day

So what? Summer football would not allow clubs to maximise on that particular period, and fans would be spending their Christmas bonuses somewhere else. It simply doesn't stand that watching football in the cold dark of January as opposed to (what we would only be hoping for knowing Scottish weather) a warm sunny afternoon in June will see a vast decline in attendances.

 

How will games be played in the dark? From March to End of September apart from games to suit TV or postponed games we would play significantly less under floodlights with next to none on a heated pitch the cost of running floodlights and undersoil heating is massive, hence the reason some clubs although having it installed don't switch it on if they believe the game will be a low attendance

Well there would still have to be a number of midweek games played as a requirement for finishing the season, and for any midweek games outwith June-early August you would expect floodlights to be required. Summer football does not end the necessity for floodlights. It still doesn't stand that clubs would be spending a credible amount of money less than they were already on floodlights/USH if summer football was implemented.

 

Sweden and even the league of Ireland has seen a boost in attendances with the Northern Irish league looking to follow suit

The claim that Irish leagues are experiencing a boost as a result of summer football is dubious to say the least. In any case Scottish football's attendances are already proportionally world-leading under the current timetable, so why should we take the risk? Especially when it does us no favours on many other fronts, such as the trade between English-based players as I mentioned.

[Norgethistle]

So what? Summer football would not allow clubs to maximise on that particular period, and fans would be spending their Christmas bonuses somewhere else. It simply doesn't stand that watching football in the cold dark of January as opposed to (what we would only be hoping for knowing Scottish weather) a warm sunny afternoon in June will see a vast decline in attendances.

 

 

Our game at Christmas was postponed last year also folk have presents and stuff to spend their Xmas bonuses (if they still exist) on

 

Well there would still have to be a number of midweek games played as a requirement for finishing the season, and for any midweek games outwith June-early August you would expect floodlights to be required. Summer football does not end the necessity for floodlights. It still doesn't stand that clubs would be spending a credible amount of money less than they were already on floodlights/USH if summer football was implemented.

 

Far less than present and no undersoil heating costs, I am sure it was quoted as around £10K for ours to be on in a hard frost as it takes days to de-frost the park.. plus it kills the grass

 

 

The claim that Irish leagues are experiencing a boost as a result of summer football is dubious to say the least. In any case Scottish football's attendances are already proportionally world-leading under the current timetable, so why should we take the risk? Especially when it does us no favours on many other fronts, such as the trade between English-based players as I mentioned.

 

Our transfer window can be set exactly the same as England's because we have matches doesn't mean we can't be buying or selling, it hasn't impacted Norway, Iceland or Sweden who have had more EPL players than Scotland

 

[allyo]

For me the biggest reason for avoiding summer football is that it would make winter in Scotland even more long and miserable. I don't know how I'd get through it without the football. When the weather's bad (often) it's about the only outdoor activity of the whole week.

[kni]

Going back to the thread's subject, Qatar should not have been awarded the 2022 World Cup in the first place. It is not a suitable country to host the competition for many reasons in addition to the ridiculously hot weather in the summer.

 

I hope that Australia does take legal action against FIFA and and exposes how the decision was taken. It should go to a top footballing country with excellent stadia and facilities, e.g. England (jointly with Scotland and Wales?), Spain or Italy.

Edited September 21, 2013 by kni

[Blackpool Jags]

What a vile, inhumane set of tyrants the Qatari regime are; they shouldn't be allowed to stage a game of bar football (fat chance!) never mind the greatest show on Earth.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24980013

[lady-isobel-barnett]

What a vile, inhumane set of tyrants the Qatari regime are; they shouldn't be allowed to stage a game of bar football (fat chance!) never mind the greatest show on Earth.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...e-east-24980013

 

That's really bad. All the focus will be on the danger to players and even supporters of playing this tournament in such a ridiculous climate. Nobody will give a hoot for the very folk that enabled the competition to be played in the first place. Unlike the Olympics I feel it would just take a couple of the major nations to threaten to withdraw to get this venue changed. A World Cup without the likes of Germany, Brazil or Spain would be so devalued even Blatter & Co would have to react.

Edited November 27, 2013 by lady-isobel-barnett

[Jaggernaut]

That's really bad. All the focus will be on the danger to players and even supporters of playing this tournament in such a ridiculous climate. Nobody will give a hoot for the very folk that enabled the competition to be played in the first place. Unlike the Olympics I feel it would just take a couple of the major nations to threaten to withdraw to get this venue changed. A World Cup without the likes of Germany, Brazil or Spain would be so devalued even Blatter & Co would have to react.

 

You could say that Scotland has set the ball rolling.

[peagreenboy]

Eh, slavery is just getting fashionable again these days. Qatar are just ahead of the curve.

[Keiththejag]

Theres no way this tournament should be played in Qatar.

 

These people consider us all to be animals, a bit rich considering their own highly developed sense of altruism and fair play.

we all know the good of the game was sacrificed to give it to these ********, so a boycott seems like a great idea.

 

I wonder how much was stuffed in the brown envelope?

[The Sunnylaw Jag]

Might end up with a Winter World Cup this year, if Brazil don't get those stadiums built in time.

[cyprusjag]

There should be a boycott but it will never happen. Too many snouts in the trough .Before a country is even considered to hold the World Cup they have to guarantee that FIFA and their officials will not be liable for any tax. A totally immoral organisation.

[Lenziejag]

Might end up with a Winter World Cup this year, if Brazil don't get those stadiums built in time.

 

Or making sure they are safe !

[stillresigned]

 

 

Or making sure they are safe !

i

I wouldn't have thought "abstract" concerns like that would be high on FIFA''s list of priorities!

[uberteeb]

What that article shows is endemic in the Middle East, the 'peaceful nations' and 'partners' have been doing it for decades, go and have a Google about who built Dubai, who is building Dubai, how they were treated and how they are still being treated. I will never visit Dubai as a tourist for these reasons.

 

The heat is the most obvious and practicle problem but it is by no means the main problem.

 

And whilst I see some merit in the arguement that giving places like Russia and Qatar these events gives them an incentive to improve various human rights issues the fact remains that there is no pressure on them to actually go through with it and it just drives it underground. FIFA knew who would be building the stadiums and infrastructure when they awarded them the World Cup. They are complicit in this, brown envelopes and backhand business dealings don't even scratch the surface of what happens within that organisation.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

 

The heat is the most obvious and practicle problem but it is by no means the main problem.

 

And whilst I see some merit in the arguement that giving places like Russia and Qatar these events gives them an incentive to improve various human rights issues the fact remains that there is no pressure on them to actually go through with it

 

My simplistic view on that argument is if Fifa were serious about human rights etc then they would demand the applicant nation firstly gets its act in order. I know that just about every nation has its skeletons in the closet but there should be some sort of threshold of decency that a country should have to reach before consideration.

To repeat there's every chance that a major nation would boycott a World Cup in Qatar. Not necessarily purely on ethical reasons but perhaps their star players won't play or even their insurance demands would be too high. A World Cup without a couple of qualifying major nations would be devalued considerably.