Winter is a time of year that brings new challenges – ones that stretch beyond the footballing sphere but, equally, can leave their imprint on it.
The most obvious of these fresh trials is the climate. Earlier sunsets, cold chills, snow and ice paint a different picture at the season’s mid-point compared to the warm-weather summer start, and with this, football clubs must strategise how they navigate this testing point in the campaign with as minimal fuss as possible.
In Irish League football, some support measures are in place at this time of year that assist clubs at the intermediate level particularly.
Not every ground has floodlights equipped – another reason why the push for investment in facilities shouldn’t stop, as an aside – and from the Premier Intermediate League down, 2pm kick-offs are widespread, therefore, to make sure the referee’s final whistle comes before the sunset and after a completed match.
This is by necessity; after all, there’d not be much point in teams turning up if they know, inevitably, that the fixture won’t see a finish.
But could such measures be implemented elsewhere in the top two tiers?
For matchgoing fans, while the traditionality of 3pm on Saturday does ring true, adaptability is a theme we are probably going to discuss more – and the argument for moving the start time forward an hour holds a bit of weight.
Pitches can freeze as a result of the absence of sunlight. In the winter of 2022, for instance, a Championship clash between H&W Welders and Ballinamallard United was called off thanks to a frozen surface, while Bangor’s duel with Banbridge Town – a 3pm PIL kick-off – ended up being abandoned five minutes into the second period due to an injury caused by a slip on a part of the pitch that had re-froze after sunset.
And though Blanchflower Park and Clandeboye Park boast weather-resistant synthetic turfs, not even these are immune to the frost-fuelled chills of winter.
It is mandatory to call a pitch inspection when the ground may be touch and go come match time and, admittedly, that hour reduced may prove a hindrance in terms of getting things in order. But factoring in an early sunset, maybe reaching a finish should be made a priority.
Perhaps it helps from a travel point of view, too. Away supporters pilgrimage up and down the land to watch their team play, but getting back home an hour early around this time of year to put your feet up by the fire wouldn’t go amiss.
Some extra daylight may also give the return commute more of an air of security given the elements can change the landscape quickly.
And, in general, it adds uniformity. In the second-tier, Knockbreda – whose Breda Park home doesn’t have floodlights – play their home clashes at 2pm while every other team maintains the usual 3pm start, and in the PIL, there’s often one 3pm match an hour later than the rest.
With that in mind, there’s a valid case for a universal 2pm winter start that would minimise disruption in the current climate.
Featured image from NIFL Social Media.
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