There is no doubt in my mind that start of games should be rolled back to 8pm or at very least 730pm. I do not have any stats but I am sure attendance is down. Any thoughts?
Game start times in Virginia
- Thread starter freeatlast2013
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I can't speak for every area but I don't think attendance is down in the Lynchburg area. I've been to a few games this year and they were on par or better than usual. I think the product that is being put out has a lot more to do with attendance rather than start times.
Clarke's attendance isn't down. We used to start at 7:30, but now start at 7:00. I think someone explained to me once about why it changed, but I've forgotten already. Why did it change?
Not to pontificate on the subject or put thoughts in the heads of AD's, but perhaps the thought for a 7:00 rather than a 7:30 or 8:00 kickoff is the money they may lose on the gate they will make up for at concessions? As a young boy I remember when games kicked off at 7:30 and we could eat supper before going to the ball game, but strangely if it was 7:00 we felt so rushed that by the time Mom and Dad got us to the stadium the first stop would be the concession stand and when I got older it was giving me $10 so I could go when I wanted. So let's see here....if we eat before game or at an eating establishment you make $20 off my family of 4 maybe $30 if we purchase drinks or candy....where as you give me and my brother $10 to buy dinner and then probably do the same with my parents (we'll say $15 combined for those two because of less candy intake) you're making $55 for my family of 4 that night not $20-$30. In short for everyone person having to buy dinner it's a way to recoup on the lost ticket revenue potentially I feel
8:00 would make for a late night for everyone that's not sitting in the stands. I think some of the more rural/out-of-the-way/single high school counties still start at 7:30 but most I see starting at seven now.
A lot of the varsity players drive themselves. Maybe trying to make sure they aren't on the road too late at night? Is there a curfew in Virginia for underage drivers?
A lot of the varsity players drive themselves. Maybe trying to make sure they aren't on the road too late at night? Is there a curfew in Virginia for underage drivers?
Not down. I would never like an 8:00 start time. For those of us and any administration that works concessions, games etc. We would get home at midnight. I love the 7:00 start time.
I think sometimes the change comes as a result of the district you're in and how the ADs vote. I know since we (Page) are coming back to the Bull Run, our basketball game start times will change. The Shenandoah starts JV basketball at 5:30/varsity 7:00, whereas the Bull Run starts JV basketball at 6:00/varsity 7:30 is what we've been told. Who knows? Above my meager pay grade
I would like a hybrid
System. 7:30/8:00 for games in August/September and then 7 rest of year. Takes some of the heat away for the early games.
System. 7:30/8:00 for games in August/September and then 7 rest of year. Takes some of the heat away for the early games.
I could go along with that logic. I usually eat at the game anyway though. It's not that expensive. And, it supports the schools.
Well revealing my age again, I remember and still love the 8 start time. The way I work, the 7:30 time was rough to get to and the 7:00 is almost impossible for me. Being a truck driver sometimes it's hard getting back into radio range.
In THE JUNGLE kick off is always at 7:30 pm. On Friday night. The reason is the sidewalk machine operators gets off at 6:45 pm. This give them time to get to their reserve seats before the National anthem & coin flip. Sorry we don’t do Thursday games unless it’s weather related. Saturday games are always under the Sunshine during playoffs season.
Man, I'm glad you said that. I was starting to wonder if this were a situation like the one in the movie "Yesterday", where no one remembered the Beatles. Except in this case, everyone had forgotten that 8:00 pm kickoffs were the norm for decades. I'm glad someone else remembers.
I also miss the later start time. It's one of those things that seemed to work fine forever; then, it was somehow altered; now, it's gone for good. It seems to me as if the switch from 8:00 to 7:30 was made sometime between 1990 and 1995, maybe '96. My memory is probably off, but I think it all originally stemmed from the fact that several schools, all or mostly all located in Tidewater, were having serious problems with violence at football games. The authorities thought that going to earlier kickoffs, when it was still daylight, would help stem the problem. Of course, by early October, it's also dark by 7:00pm, so I'm not sure about the logic there. Then, the VHSL thought that all schools across the state should kick off at the same time, which prompted the statewide change. And of course, the switch from 7:30 to 7:00 took place...what, about six to eight years ago, now? Now, I could be completely off on all of that concerning the reasons, so I welcome any corrections from someone who really knows. But that's what my memory is telling me.
Regardless of the reasons, I don't like the 7:00 kickoff at all, and I would say yes, the earlier start time has definitely hurt attendance. It's strictly anecdotal observation on my part, but that's all anyone else has offered thus far. From what I've observed first-hand, attendance has been steadily declining for the past fifteen or so years, and seemed to take a big dip when the change was made from 7:30 to 7:00. How could it not? Most people, and especially most families, want and/or need to eat something before going to the game. It's just really difficult for someone that gets off work at 5:00 to get home, gather the family, get something decent to eat, and then make the game by 7:00. Even if people don't have families, or want to eat "food" at the games, it's often a hectic rush to leave work at 5:00 and get to the game on time. And the further away games are, the more difficult it is. Of course, I'm sure there are a variety of factors contributing to declining attendance, but IMHO, the 7:00 start time is at the top of the list.
I think playoff games are where attendance has taken the biggest hit because of the earlier kickoff. Especially from 2013 to 2016, when we had the "megaregions", like 4A West. During those years, Salem hosted Fauquier, Woodgrove twice, Dominion, Charlottesville, Amherst County, and Millbrook for Friday night playoff games. The latter three had very few visiting fans; the first three had nobody, and I mean nobody, there, aside from one busload of Dominion students. How could people possibly get from NOVA to Salem in time for a 7:00 kickoff, aside from getting off work at 3:00 or earlier? Most people can't do that. Saturday playoff games against Dominion, GW, and Liberty (Bealeton) did better, attendance-wise. In my little dream world, all playoff games would be held on Saturday.
For me personally, it doesn't make much difference. I haven't worked an 8-to-5 job since 2005, so I usually have the flexibility to leave whenever I need to. Most people don't have that flexibility. I'm just saying, 7:00 kickoffs really make it hard to get to the games on time. Especially for playoff games, particularly in regions where there are significant distances between the schools involved. All of this means way fewer people in the stands, which in turn means, less money made. It's not really about "we did it this way in the good old days." It's more about the bottom line, which I have to believe has taken a big hit from early kickoffs.
can't blame that anymore it sucks. I quit watching that years ago.I always blamed Friday Football Extra , and people wanting to get home in time to watch it .
Spartan is right. The change was made between 1990 and 1995. I played from 1991 to 1994 and remembered 8pm kicks when I was a Freshman and then they changed to 730pm kicks sometime between 1992 and 1994.
I heard the earlier start times may have been introduced due to longer game times. This, of course, has much to do with teams running spread offenses. Passing is up and it makes for a frustrating product when teams without the personnel to run the spread can't run the spread. And it is easy for a once two-hour game to turn into three hours.
A 7pm start has crushed attendance, especially in areas like the Fredericksburg area where traffic is terrible coming from the DC area.
I wish for 8pm starts once again but I'm sure that will never happen. I would settle for the 730pm starts as a consolation though.
I heard the earlier start times may have been introduced due to longer game times. This, of course, has much to do with teams running spread offenses. Passing is up and it makes for a frustrating product when teams without the personnel to run the spread can't run the spread. And it is easy for a once two-hour game to turn into three hours.
A 7pm start has crushed attendance, especially in areas like the Fredericksburg area where traffic is terrible coming from the DC area.
I wish for 8pm starts once again but I'm sure that will never happen. I would settle for the 730pm starts as a consolation though.
The violence problem in some Tidewater schools- Hampton and Newport News primarily still happens and Friday night games there are regularly switched that week to Saturday afternoon games because of it. None here but metal scanners are used at all games. But York County uses no metal scanners .
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