Is S4/C Television running the league?
Wednesday 09 February 2011
TV coverageTHE FAW assumed complete control of the Welsh Premier at the start of the season, but recent events suggest that S4/C Television has an increasing and pervasive influence.
The advent of a live television game every Saturday was a major boost for publicising the league this season, but the screening of the show at 3.45 caused massive confusion over kick-off times.
A new 'standard' time of two o'clock was hastily introduced to suit the broadcasters, apparently without any consulation with the clubs, and soon proved highly unpopular with supporters.
After a few weeks of opposition and head scratching, the traditional 2.30pm start time was then reinstated.
This weekend, the three scheduled Welsh Premier fixtures were time-tabled for an unfamiliar 2.10pm kick-off because S4/C will be showing live coverage of the Scotland v Wales rugby international at Murrayfield and, with the oval ball game a holy grail in the Principality, domestic football matches must end before that fixture starts.
Newtown and The New Saints have already railed against the move and agreed a 2.30 start for their game at Latham Park, although as recently as 10.30 this morning, the league's official website is insisting "The match at the Bridge Meadow, like all other matches on Saturday, will kick-off at 14:10 due to the Six Nations Rugby International later that day between Scotland and Wales."
There was more evidence of the power of the Welsh language broadcaster to influence events at the weekend when the Welsh Cup tie between Rhyl and TNS was played on a heavily waterlogged pitch, which would surely NEVER have been given the nod by FIFA referee Lee Evans under normal circumstances.
Earlier this season, the FAW was insisting it had "a duty of care" to players when agreeing to the postponement of games due to difficult travelling conditions.
Yet this wholly commendable policy went out of the window at Belle Vue to ensure Sgorio got its live game.
There was a farcical situation before the match kicked-off after the teams have trooped onto the pitch past the trophy under the gaze of the cameras.
Standing in a torrential downpour for two minutes, players and spectators thought they were commemorating the lives of prolific ex-Rhyl striker Don Spendlove and beloved supporter Ray Jones.
But, the applause for the tribute soon died down after Evans blew his whistle, when those present realised the minute's silence was just starting and that the long and pregnant pause had been for a commercial break.