Widnes Vikings to give Friday nights a try (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Widnes Vikings to give Friday nights a try

3:45pm Wednesday 21st November 2012 in Vikings news

WIDNES Vikings will be following in the footsteps of Saints, Leeds and Wigan next season by playing six of their home games on Friday nights.

Although the club will still play half a dozen clashes on what has been their traditional Sunday slot, they are looking to pick up new supporters by experimenting with different dates.

The coaching staff belief the longer turnaround times that more regular Friday night games will bring will also be beneficial to players’ recovery.

Vikings CEO James Rule said: “When I first joined the Vikings in September, from my initial observations it was very apparent that we needed to create a more sustainable business model.

“We already have some passionate and loyal members and supporters, but in order to make the club more sustainable we need to grow that number. With that in mind, we have decided to introduce some Friday night home fixtures into our plans for the 2013 season, to give ourselves a chance to analyse which day is most attractive to our existing and potential fan-base.

“Friday night has become the traditional day to play games for many of our competitors in Super League. Between them; St. Helens, Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors arguably command the biggest gates that we currently see in the competition and it is therefore logical for us to implement a certain number of Friday night games into our fixture calendar and see if it works for the Vikings.

“Having discussed this subject with our Head Coach Denis Betts, I know that he is also keen on the concept, particularly in regard of the extended recovery period it offers the players.”

Betts added; “When it comes to maximising both our performance and our recovery, logic suggests that Friday night is a perfect fit.

“The Super League competition gets tougher and faster with each new season and with player welfare and wellbeing in mind, the benefits presented through this extended gap between games are immense.”