Friday night football for Rangers as BT Sport target Ibrox giants for TV slot

Mark Guidi

THE new broadcaster plans to show Rangers games across UK on Friday nights to maximise viewing figures. No other football in the UK is screened on a Friday night.
Rangers could be on TV on Friday nights next season Rangers could be on TV on Friday nights next season

RANGERS could play a number of Second Division matches on Friday nights next term.

It's understood new broadcasters BT Sport will look to schedule some Gers games and SPL clashes in that slot to maximise their viewing figures.

BT Sport will take over from ESPN at the end of July and have bought the rights to 30 live SPL matches and 10 Gers games.

No other football in the UK is screened on a Friday and that's why the time slot is so appealing.

A number of SPL clashes – including the Highland derby – were played on a Friday night last term and it was hailed as a success by clubs and TV chiefs.

Police will need to be consulted over the choice of matches involving Rangers but the indications are they have no major concerns.

A few years ago the cops claimed they didn't want any games played on a Friday night. But the fact Scotland played a World Cup
qualifier against Wales on a Friday back in March showed their stance has changed.

Gers will be under the same umbrella as the SPL clubs next season after SFL teams voted to join a new SPFL set-up at a Hampden meeting last week.

And SPL operations director Iain Blair said: "Bearing in mind we have the new Scotland police force, the view is that Friday night is absolutely not off the agenda.

"They will look at the risk assessment of each match and whatever else is going on in that locality on that particular evening. It is certainly possible you will see Rangers matches on a Friday evening.

"Every game receives a rank and you get low, medium and high risk. Then you have high risk with even more risk expected. There is no chance that you get a high risk match on a Friday night."

League chiefs also revealed top-flight clubs will be able to choose if they want a winter break next season.

Fixtures will be released for the two weekends when the league was due to shut down between January 3 and 17.

But clubs can choose to take a breather instead and play those matches in midweek on January 22 and 29.

SPL chief Neil Doncaster SPL chief Neil Doncaster
SNS

That looks set to cause several bust-ups as the wishes of the home team will be given preference.

But SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster insists the move has been made to appease fans who want to see weekend football.

He said: "We are keen to respond to supporter demand.

"There has been concern about a number of midweek fixtures so the view has been taken that we will schedule games within the two-week period of the winter break in this World Cup year.

"So while clubs will have the ability to move their games, if they wish, from the two weekends that comprise the winter break, when we release the fixture list it will show games in those weekends.

"If the clubs at home wish to re-arrange those games they will go back to the midweek slots that have already been allocated, which are the 22nd and 29th of January.

"The following season we may go back to a full winter break but this year with the condensed season and the view from fans we thought this was the right way."

More changes will be made to the top flight after the merger with the SFL – and the new nine-man SPFL board will be
ratified on June 27 when all 42 of the member clubs meet.

Doncaster explained the mechanics of the new set-up and said: "The new board will have three independent directors and six will be appointed by the clubs.

"There will be three from top division, two from the next division and one from the bottom two.

"The voting is straight majority – you will have nine people on the board so there shouldn't be any need for a casting vote on most eventualities.

"A number of key decisions will be made by that board on that day. That will start the process of merging the organisations and deal with the CEO position at that point."

Doncaster will be considered for that CEO role but wouldn't be drawn on his future.

He said: "This cannot and must not be an issue about individuals.

"It has to be about what is in the best interests of the game as a whole.

"It would be disrespectful to the new board to be creating any pressure. It's for them to make a decision about the right people to take the organisation forward."

Taken from the Daily Record