What about the players who are religious?

Good Friday isnt a date to look forward to. Thats why we will never have good Friday Football.

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

Are there any benefits of playing on this day other than losing 30% of the crowd? Every year it gets put up and every year shot down. If there was any value in it trust me the AFL would have milked it already.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

You got me there CB.... .....I was waiting for someone to mention "What about Leap Year?"

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

If a player is religious, then he would have problems playing on a Sunday, let alone Good Friday.

As for reducing a crowd, I don't agree. Sure, there are a few who wouldn't attend for religious reasons, but the vast majority of Melburnians either are not religious or care little for it.

No-one is holding a gun to the head of those who don't want to attend.

As for the argument that there are 364 other days of the year to play, half of those disappear due to the off-season, 56% of the remainder are monday-thursday, so the available days start to dwindle. On top of that, Good Friday is one of the few public holidays, so it gives all a chance to attend.

Lastly, sometimes it is said that the players like to get together with their families at this time, but I don't recall Good Friday as being the big 'get together' time.

Play on Good Friday. We went through all these arguments in relation to Sunday football, and the sky didn't fall in, and it's certainly not going to happen this time around either.

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"The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, and the young know everything." Oscar Wilde

Big statement there JW...."the vast majority"????

It was revealed only this week that one out of every three Australians is Catholic.

I can't believe the "vast majority" of those "care little for it".

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

Good Friday is the most sacred day on the Christian calender and it means more than a public holiday to Christians and there are plenty of them in Melbourne don't worry about that.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

I'd love to see footy played on Good Friday. It would provide some joy on an otherwise munday day.

I don't see why there should be a problem with it , regardless of your religious persuations.

Religion is commercialised, it's more about presents........corporations make a killing out of it - think of Christmas. Then you see Easter Eggs came on sale a week after Christmas......

Why not have the AFL commercialise good Friday? At least it would be money well spent.

Footy is played on Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday so what's the difference anyway?

My family and I will be in Adelaide next Good Friday watching my son play in the annual Norwood basketball tournament which hosts teams from all over Australia...games are played Friday through Monday including Sunday.
I would be a hypocrite to say no to any other sport including footy and think its the right of the individual to choose..my wife is religious but sees no harm in sport over a religous period as its a healthy pursuit for young people and should be encouraged.....you can support both your faith and your club at the same time....

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Badly phrased on my part. While the majority of people cite a religion at census time, the reality is that attendances at services are low and have been declining for many years.

What I meant by 'the vast majority' was people who don't regularly go to services etc.


As for Good Friday meaning more to Christians than other days, that may well be the case, and there may be plenty of Christians around, but the practising ones are still very much in the minority.

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"The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, and the young know everything." Oscar Wilde

No brainer this one. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

If you're religious stay home.

Give it a run and let the people decide.

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

One of the last chances for the club to do something.
Bloody hell, get on the front foot and lobby for it.

Most people here know I'm a pretty conservative Catholic, and on this issue (its been done to death both here and at TBV) I've been pretty anti footy on good friday (even mentioned that I wouldn't renew my membership if Carlton pushed for it.) However, my stance has softened on it, and while I wouldn't realy like it, I can see a place for it.

Why?

Well living with Orthodox Christians for the last 8 years for one. Their good friday very rarely falls on the the public holiday. They just don't attend on their good friday/easter period.

Secondly, the argument of the sunday games is flawed. The view that no work can be done on a Sunday is very fundamentalist, and not all that well supported, even within Catholic ranks. The church itself realise this by allowing Mass on Saturday evenings to allow those with commitments on Sunday an opportunity to witness.

The comparison with ANZAC day is also flawed. ANZAC day does not mean all that much to me, yet I make the effort not to disrespect it because I know it means a lot to others. Thoughts like Fevolaaa's just show me how childish some can be.

I wouldn't attend, nor do I realy support it but I wouldn't actively begrudge it.

I think it's time that the league introduced it, if not least for the fact that both the opposition codes now have Good Friday games. Admittedly, when the Qld Reds first played a Good Friday match, I was a little amazed they were doing it - but realistically, all the people who swore they'd never go did nothing to blunt the crowd numbers.

It's kind of like Ablett in the hall of fame - gnashing of teeth, wailing, shock, horror, but now he's there, the social fabric still seems to be intact.....

in that case you can go into work and do some work around the place.
You want your holiday but you dont want others to have it...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Personally i wouldnt go to footy on Greek Orthodox good friday and i wouldnt go to the footy on non greek orthodox friday...
.. and i wouldnt even call myself especially religious.

Good Friday is a holiday for the chunk of people who observe it. If you dont observe it i suggest you go into work.....
You cant have your cake and eat it too... eh?

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Bad idea .... we'd get crucified by the umpires.

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The only way for some people to understand is for them to be on the receiving end

Left wing moralists
In self serving denial
They shit me no end

I normally do to catch up with stuff. Easter, Good Friday and Xmas are shit boring if you actively don't celebrate them. I'd rather be working and have a day off when there is something to do (shopping, decent tv etc)

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

'A pack forms & the umpire crosses himself....'

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#DonTheStash

One could argue that since you do not believe in the reasons for this holiday, that you should not have the day off at all.

Fat chance. If the bible-bashers are having one, I'll be stuffed if I miss out.

The Monday after grand final day will do just nicely.

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.