IT has been a long number of years since I could make plans for both a Saturday and Sunday safe in the knowledge that there isn’t a match or match preparation to be considered and, without rubbing salt into neighbouring counties' wounds, it is great.
This season the Tyrone County Board have scheduled all men’s club games for Friday nights. Given the size of Tyrone and the distance between some clubs it has been a difficult path to get to this point, but I think if you ask the vast majority of players (and their families) it has been the best decision.
Logistically, it is difficult for some players who may work far from home. There are people travelling home from Belfast, Dublin and even Scotland or England every Friday now for games and cutting their working week short in order to make that commitment, which is admirable, but I think having a full weekend free to make our own plans and enjoy the summer makes the sacrifices worth it.
Having had club games on a Sunday for as long as I remember, it really does dictate your whole weekend. If a game is at 4pm on a Sunday, you don’t want to be doing too much physical activity in the run up to it, there is no chance of you going golfing on Saturday because you need fresh legs for a Sunday.
Going for a meal on a Saturday night was also restricted because ,as much as you would want to order a feast and make the most of the experience, in the back of your head is still the thought that you should order a high protein, high carb meal for match preparation.
A match on a Sunday would basically consume the whole weekend and then, on top of that, if you had a good win and wanted to go for a few drinks or a social catch up with the team afterwards, then you had to remember that you were straight back to work or college the next morning so that is restricted as well.
With having a match on a Friday night, these limits are immediately removed. Last Saturday for example we had a few friends around to our garden for pizza, a few drinks and a catch up.
Our game was over us on Friday evening and so we were free to relax and enjoy ourselves. We could sit and chat about the match, about other results and about next week's fixture and we knew we still had another free day ahead of us on Sunday for recovery and time with family.
Getting a few nights away, now that we can, is also possible which it has never been for us. Historically, I would always have been checking fixtures for ‘the free weekend’ and trying to squeeze in a night away with family but now we can book a Saturday night away and know we aren’t missing anything, which is great for the brownie points!
Having the games on a Friday night is also great for recovery purposes. If I take a knock or a strain on a Friday evening, I can book into a recovery suite or the swimming pool on Saturday or Sunday (or both) and rest myself before going back to work on a Monday. With a Sunday game not being over until after 6pm (or 8pm as is sometimes the case), any aches and pains on Monday morning are carried to work and then it is Monday evening before we can get any recovery work done. With the cycle of training beginning again on Tuesday, it simply doesn’t give enough time for sufficient recovery, especially for the older guys on the squad.
I understand that for some supporters and families of club teams, having the games on a Friday night rules out their ability to attend the games. I know for me personally, having a young family and a senior game starting at 8.15 on a Friday evening, my children won’t be able to come to even the home games because it is too late.
Games don’t finish up until after 9.30 and so I can fully understand some families’ frustrations at not being able to go and watch the match, especially having waited so long to be allowed to attend matches again.
With an away game, given the size of Tyrone, there could be Friday evenings that I wouldn’t be home until after 10.30. That all said though, I know my family would rather I was available more over the weekend than being able to watch my efforts on a Friday evening, but for some supporters it can be frustrating.
Some players from other counties have expressed their feelings on this issue and would much prefer even a selection of games to be moved to a Friday evening or Saturday so that the team can at least enjoy one night of the weekend knowing they are ‘off’ the next day. I have to agree with them.
Rather than looking back and doing ‘what has always been the way’ it is great to see fresh ideas from the Tyrone County Board and the thoughts and preferences of the majority of the players being taken on board.
I understand the fixture schedule can be difficult, however, other county boards really do need to have a look at it. Either Saturday evening or Friday evening are ideal in my opinion, let the players enjoy themselves, times are moving on and players are calling for this so why not let them have it.
