WARRIORS head coach Richard Hill would be in favour of a switch to more Friday night rugby if it helped Worcester in their quest to climb the Aviva Premiership table.
Sixways managing director Charlie Little announced this week the club are considering moving the majority of their home league games to Friday nights next season.
However, the move has proved contentious among the club’s fans with some delighted by the plan but others disgusted that they will be unable to attend or take young family members.
Hill said: “From my point of view, I understand the facts of the matter to be that we have bigger crowds on Friday nights and we definitely win the vast majority of our games on Fridays — over 80 per cent — so I am in favour of it.
“I know it can cause a bit of an issue for some people who live a bit further away in getting here for the 8pm kick-off and then arriving home late at night after the game. I do have sympathy for them.
“However, the players respond well to Friday night games, we get some passionate crowds and the atmosphere seems to be better under lights so, all-round, I am quite keen on it.”
There will still be Saturday afternoon rugby at Sixways next season — predominantly in the LV= and Amlin Challenge cups — but the proposal would see most league games taking place on Friday nights.
Hill added: “Apparently, it costs less to put games on on a Friday night and the club tends to make more money, so commercially it makes sense.
“From a playing point of view, what it all boils down to is that if you win more games on a Friday it makes more sense to play then.
“But it can’t just be a pure playing decision as it has to make commercial sense too.
“It works for me as a coach because we win more games on Fridays and it makes more money too, so it seems to be a winner both ways at the moment.
“Not all games will be on Friday nights, there needs to be a balance. Other games in the LV= Cup and the Amlin will be on Saturdays.
“It might just be six or seven games on a Friday night, which hopefully isn’t too dramatic over a whole season.
“If you are a top-four side with internationals running throughout your team, you can play Saturday, Sunday or Friday night — it doesn’t matter.
“But when you are up and coming and don’t have a squad full of current internationals, you have to take every advantage you can.
“Bringing teams here on a Friday night is no doubt an advantage to us and they don’t like coming here.”
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