West Brom fans are getting a raw deal with night shifts
Money talks in football – all fans understand that.
And in the modern world, it’s broadcasters who are king with Sky, BT and Amazon pouring hundreds of millions into the sport.
But it’s not money that makes football the beautiful game. It’s not glitzy television studios, clever graphics or fancy new camera angles.
What makes football so special is supporters and the passion they have for their club.
We’ve always known that. But we had it confirmed during the pandemic when football was played behind closed doors – the game became soulless.
Broadcasters get to call the shots because of the sheer amount of money they are putting into the game.
But their power is a problem – particularly for Albion this season.
Switched
Earlier this week it was announced the home game against Huddersfield, originally scheduled for Saturday, March 12, will now take place a day earlier on Friday, March 11, with an 8pm kick-off.
That is just the latest in a series of Albion games that have been switched to either a Monday or Friday night this season.
It’s likely there will be more to come with Sky having yet to announce which games they will be showing in April.
But even if they don’t take any more, it will mean the Baggies have only had eight home fixtures on a Saturday this season.
One of the benefits of dropping out of the Premier League is that you’re supposed to get your 3 o’clock kick-offs on a Saturday back.
But that just hasn’t happened for Albion this season and it’s fair to say, moving forward, the EFL need to do something about it.
The broadcast deal for the Championship sees all clubs get in the region of £2.2million a guaranteed sum. Teams then get around £100,000 extra for every time they are shown live.
Nobody disputes that isn’t a vast sum of money. But attendances on a weekday evening can often drop by 2,000 or 3,000.
It’s understandable Albion are a big draw for Sky.
They were in the Premier League last season and are expected to be competing for promotion this year.
But if Sky continue to focus on a handful of teams and constantly move their fixtures, it will affect supporters attending games and the amount of people who decide to renew their season tickets.
A poll on the Express & Star website showed 85 per cent of those surveyed are starting to think twice about renewing their season ticket because of the number of games that are moved.
And you’ve got to remember, it’s not easy for everybody to get to The Hawthorns.
Not every fan lives locally. Some season ticket holders travel hundreds of miles to see their team.
And while the working world has changed drastically over the years, the vast majority of people still work Monday to Friday and have their weekends spare.
It is not fair on those supporters that broadcasters are allowed to make so many changes to one team’s calender.
It’s important to stress Albion get no say in which of their games are moved.
The EFL has signed up to the broadcast agreement and allowed them to call the shots.
Of course, television companies are needed and deserve their place.
But there has to be some thought for supporters and at the moment there appears to be none.
A limit on how many games broadcasters can move has to be something the EFL looks at when negotiating the next deal. If they don’t people will start voting with their feet.
And ironically that also causes a problem for the broadcasters.
Televising a game with thousands of empty seats is very different to televising one with a capacity crowd.
The atmosphere fans generate inside the ground is needed to make football more watchable on the box.
And if the entertainment and viewing levels dip, you can bet the broadcasters won’t be stumping up as much cash in the future.
Football needs fans in the ground. Broadcasters needs fans in the ground.
And on top of that the EFL has a duty of care to supporters so games are not constantly moved all over the place.
It’s something the governing body really needs to look at going forward.
