One of the problems with the current fixturing - which sees the QB clash starting at 3.20 pm instead of the more family friendly and crowd enhancing timeslot of 2.10pm - is the power of the Seven Network. I understand that Seven wants its afternoon games leading into the news and I appreciate the AFL wants maximum dollars from TV rights.
But the best way to get away from the domination the Seven Network has in the fixturing debate is to get competition into the rights negotiations. Put simply, if Network 10 can get back into the picture we could see football fixtures returning to better times because Ten isn't committed to a 6.00pm news service like Seven. In fact, Ten generally likes to have its news at 5.00pm - which is the ideal time to follow a 2.10pm start time.
Fans need to let the Ten Network know how much they want competitive bidding in the next rights negotiations. Any suggestions about how to do this? Because now is the time for the groundswell of opinion to begin.