I spoke to the club this evening about the scheduling of this fixture, and they were happy for me to pass on points that came up in that discussion. As such, this is not a club statement, and is merely based on some quick notes I took...
As a Premier League club, the Albion need to be able to schedule any game at any time, and need to be able to manage the game safely and professionally; regardless of the opposition.
The timing hasn’t been dictated by TV scheduling or money – it’s worth c£140k to be on TV and whilst that's a nice amount, it's not particularly significant given the club's level of income currently.
Safety and security is always a priority, as it is for this game too.
Palace allocation: competition rules (15% away allocation) needs to be balanced with the safety and security issues/experience of the league game – and then agreement reached with Palace, The FA – and the local safety authorities. Whatever ticket allocation is given to Palace will be the maximum we get for any replay.
Another factor is transport, significantly transporting Palace fans home. There are rail engineering works on the weekend of 6/7 January meaning it wouldn’t be possible to arrange a special train post-match. One can be scheduled for the Monday. The special train moves a large group of Palace fans away in one go, and minimises risk of post-match trouble at the Amex and in town.
It is thought that scheduling a match like this on a working day and ahead of another working day does reduce drinking, both before and after the match.
Monday 8th will be the first day back to work for many after an extended Christmas break. With work following the day after, it is also believed that this will minimise the risk of people taking day off to drink before the game.
Playing the match on the weekend could mean the opposite for the 2 points above.
Live TV coverage on a cold Monday night will help to discourage fans without tickets from travelling to Brighton, and gives them no excuse if they do.
The vast majority of fans from both clubs came to watch the League game peacefully. Both clubs do not want to allow mindless individuals to dictate when the game should be played.
As a Premier League club, the Albion need to be able to schedule any game at any time, and need to be able to manage the game safely and professionally; regardless of the opposition.
The timing hasn’t been dictated by TV scheduling or money – it’s worth c£140k to be on TV and whilst that's a nice amount, it's not particularly significant given the club's level of income currently.
Safety and security is always a priority, as it is for this game too.
Palace allocation: competition rules (15% away allocation) needs to be balanced with the safety and security issues/experience of the league game – and then agreement reached with Palace, The FA – and the local safety authorities. Whatever ticket allocation is given to Palace will be the maximum we get for any replay.
Another factor is transport, significantly transporting Palace fans home. There are rail engineering works on the weekend of 6/7 January meaning it wouldn’t be possible to arrange a special train post-match. One can be scheduled for the Monday. The special train moves a large group of Palace fans away in one go, and minimises risk of post-match trouble at the Amex and in town.
It is thought that scheduling a match like this on a working day and ahead of another working day does reduce drinking, both before and after the match.
Monday 8th will be the first day back to work for many after an extended Christmas break. With work following the day after, it is also believed that this will minimise the risk of people taking day off to drink before the game.
Playing the match on the weekend could mean the opposite for the 2 points above.
Live TV coverage on a cold Monday night will help to discourage fans without tickets from travelling to Brighton, and gives them no excuse if they do.
The vast majority of fans from both clubs came to watch the League game peacefully. Both clubs do not want to allow mindless individuals to dictate when the game should be played.