“The opposite is happening”: Do the Friday night doubleheaders work?

The Friday night doubleheader has been a point of contention throughout the week.

But is there a benefit to having the timeslot filled with overlapping games?

This week saw the AFL have its first doubleheader on a Friday night for the season, with Geelong and the Western Bulldogs playing at GMHBA Stadium from 7:20pm AEST, while the Swans kicked off their derby clash against the Giants 30 minutes later at the SCG.

This decision drew plenty of criticism from both Sydney coach Dean Cox and GWS’s Tom Green, who believed the match should have been given clean air.

But SEN’s Chief Sports Reporter, Sam Edmund noted that having the matches played in a similar timeslot helps maximise audiences across Australia particularly outside of Victoria.

“The AFL's trying to do what is best for fans and those non-Victorian clubs in particular,” Edmund explained on SEN’s Crunch Time.

“The league wants good attendance at those venues, and Friday night guarantees that.

“So last night the crowd (at the SCG), that's actually a record Sydney derby crowd (of) 43,986. (It’s the) most they've ever had.

“Down in Geelong, we get a crowd (that’s) 3000 higher than forecast and the 4th highest crowd since the Selwood stand opened.

“And then it's about what's best for the broadcasters.

“The AFL would not schedule doubleheaders if they were losing viewers, and in fact, the opposite is happening.

“So, it's about what those local markets are willing to watch.

“Channel Seven, free to air into Sydney, they only watch the Swans. They don't give a stuff about Geelong and the Western Bulldogs.

“In a couple of weeks, it's a Showdown. Everyone will lose their mind that it's not a stand-alone Friday night Showdown.

“But the Showdown on TV last year in Melbourne was the lowest-rated game of the round.

“But they will watch it in Adelaide, and they'll watch it in prime time and in a high number.

Edmund also explained that having multiple games played on Friday should help improve fixturing once the AFL locks in its schedule from Round 16 onwards.

“They are trying to engineer a bigger market,” he added.

“They're trying to give these fans in these markets the best chance to see the clubs in the best slots. They're trying to grow their audience.

“The other thing is that with two games on a Friday, (it) gives a better flex on a Thursday night.

“Now, each club can only have three five-day breaks.

“But four teams on a Friday night gives them a better flex on a Thursday.

“The benefit here, you'd like to think it will protect and help guard against the Thursday night shockers…we had some shocking Thursday night games as part of the floating fixture last year.

“So, the idea of this is we get greater quality control on a Thursday night in the back half of the fixture.”

The AFL’s next doubleheader for a Friday will be in Round 8 when the Western Bulldogs host Fremantle at Marvel Stadium at 7:30pm AEST, with the Showdown between Adelaide and Port Adelaide starting 40 minutes later at the Adelaide Oval.