Floodlights in winter are a luxury that many football clubs can no longer afford

The 3 p.m. kick-off that ends in floodlights during the winter is a tradition in English football, but it may have to be given up.

Sometime in the distant past, just over 20 years ago, I was talking to someone at a non-league football club about a game we had rented their pitch for. At one point in the conversation, the subject turned to the spotlights and I innocently asked if he could turn them on for a while so I could see how they were working.

“You must be kidding,” was his response. "It costs a few hundred pounds just to light them."

Some caveats are in order here. I have no proof that he wasn't saying that just to shut me up (quite plausible). Additionally, with LED lighting, floodlights are considerably more energy efficient than they were then, with many clubs having already replaced outdated, more energy-hungry options.

But the fact remains that just hosting a football game can be expensive, and it is about to get considerably more expensive.

The effects of the cost of living crisis on supporters has barely been addressed by clubs, but one area where there has already been movement is lit matches. At the end of July, the Isthmian League – one of the regional leagues that make up the seventh and eighth tiers of the game in England – issued a statement confirming that clubs had received permission to bring kick-offs forward during the winter. from 15 hours. to try to limit the amount of money spent on utilities.

There are of course conditions. "Decisions should be made between the two clubs, the league office should be informed as soon as possible and changes should be made public to ensure players, officials and supporters can have time to make appropriate plans. ", according to their statement on the matter. But it was notable that one league had thought about this to the point of issuing such guidelines even before a ball was kicked.

This topic is now starting to filter down to the EFL. With energy prices set to triple or even quadruple over the coming winter (the government's business relief plans recently released this winter are spotty), there is a growing sense that matches will not cannot continue to start at 3 p.m. in the afternoon when the cost of doing so is prohibitive.

Of course, this problem is not limited to projectors. Heating costs are also expected to skyrocket and that money can be saved by starting a little earlier in the day.

It certainly seems like training clubs. A recent survey by Fair Game of 40 lower division teams found almost two-thirds would consider earlier kick-offs to reduce floodlight usage, while around 60% also admit that 'they might need to stop floor improvements and 38% are 'considering cutting off non-playing staff'.

Speaking to The I last week, Bradford City CEO Ryan Sparks described the energy crisis as "potentially crippling", adding: "We are ready to do whatever will help us to reduce costs in an unprecedented situation."< /p>

This kind of news may irritate some traditionalists, and it has become a truth of the modern world of football that the "traditional kick-off" at 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon has become something of a totem for those who are unhappy with the continual change around kick-off times, usually to the benefit of broadcasters. But the 3 p.m. kick-off time isn't as universal and traditional as many think.

Spotlights have a longer history in the game than most realize. The first game reported to have been played under them was in 1878, a representative game played under gaslight between two Sheffield sides, but despite their relative success and continued experimentation, the FA banned clubs from playing under them in 1930.