Before and after European weeks, matches are moved to accommodate the teams involved in the Champions League and the Europa League. Stoke and Birmingham are getting used to the concept of playing on Thursdays and Sundays. TV already get a say and show (usually) two games on a Sunday, at 1.30pm and 4pm (Super Sunday!).
So has Sunday football become indoctrinated into our enjoyment of football?
Nike's view of Hackney Marshes
Sunday morning football is a very English tradition, Hackney Marshes being the epicentre. In issue one of the excellent Blizzard , Simon Hooper writes about a team of Romanian ex-pats who meet on a Sunday morning to compete, along with hundreds of teams in numerous leagues. Isn't this what most of us think about Sunday football? All amateurs, some better than others, and some of these matches are as feisty as an Old Firm derby.
When the fixture lists come out, Sky and ESPN look at those Sundays when the big four collide, and those Sundays aren't just super, they're GRAND SLAM SUNDAYS!!! The fan looks at those weekends, but there is the nervous wait - do you book the train and hotel for the away game, or wait til Sky decide whether to show it or not?
Not just any Sunday...
But looking abroad, Sunday football is the staple - Serie A games all occur on a Sunday (again excepting European games), as part of the day - church, football, dinner. Would England revolt if Saturday 3pm was the exception rather than the rule?
My personal favourite was the Friday night game, an option used by Arsenal in the early 2000s, but veto-ed by the police, surely worth experimenting again!
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I'd love a Friday night football game, perfect start to the weekend. Midday kick-offs annoy me - no atmosphere, and we usually lose...
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