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Post by Rajiv on Sept 5, 2015 11:20:15 GMT 8
The Thursday night game has been cancelled for 2 weeks now due to insufficient players: As next Friday (11 September 2015) is a public holiday for the general elections, I doubt we'll get enough for a game on the Thursday night. Numbers are usually down for a game on the eve of a public holiday in any event. Instead, I will schedule a game on Friday afternoon/evening at the Grandstand. As the 5 to 6 pm slot (the timing for our regular weekend games) is not available, I have taken the 4 to 5 pm slot. |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 19, 2015 19:13:15 GMT 8
Only 5 players down for the game on election day, so it was cancelled. The coming Thursday, 24 September 2015, is a public holiday (Hari Raya Haji). Further to the post above, the game on 17 September 2015 was also cancelled, with 7 names down. From the schedule thread: ... I was waiting to see how the PSI went. By the time I was sure it was down, it was too late to ask around, and we didn't have enough players. .... Therefore, we haven't had a Thursday night game since 18 August 2015. As the coming Thursday is a public holiday, I'll schedule the game from 5 to 6 pm at the Grandstand instead.
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 20, 2015 17:24:37 GMT 8
Within 32 hours, there were 8 players on waitlist for the game on on Wednesday (23 September 2015) at Khalsa. From the schedule thread: .... There's no slot available before (8 to 9 pm) or after (9 to 10 pm), so playing with 3 teams over 2 hours is not an option. The coming Wednesday is the eve of a public holiday (Hari Raya Haji). Wilson asked if it is possible to get a 2 hour slot elsewhere. I doubt 2 hours on a big pitch is available anywhere between 7 and 11 pm, and anyway, I'm reluctant to re-locate a game as some players may not want to move the game. I can consider an hour elsewhere for a second game, but even a one hour slot at Sports Planet @ East Coast is not available before 11 pm. 2 hours on a small pitch may be available, but I doubt many would want to switch to a small pitch. Anyway, I've scheduled a game at the Grandstand for Thursday evening. There are also 6 players on waitlist for the game tomorrow (Monday) at Macpherson, and 3 players on waitlist for the game on Tuesday (22 September 2015) at the Grandstand. The best I can do is schedule an extra game, either on Tuesday on a small pitch at East Coast, or on Thursday, on a big pitch either at Khalsa or East Coast. As many of those who play on Monday and Wednesday do not like playing on a small pitch, I will schedule the extra game on Thursday. As the Khalsa game as been struggling for a while, and we haven't had a game at East Coast for a long time ( since August 2014), I will schedule the extra game at East Coast. |
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Post by Rajiv on Dec 28, 2015 10:23:03 GMT 8
Continuing from above, both games on 24 September 2015 (Hari Raya Haji) were cancelled:
From the "Time for additional Sunday night game at Khalsa" thread:
The next two Thursdays are Christmas eve and New Year's eve, so I won't do a Thursday night at Khalsa. However, as the Sunday evening game at Grandstand has been struggling, and I don't expect it to get better until the new year, I may switch the Sunday game to Sunday night at Khalsa on 27 December 2015 and 3 January 2016. Continuing from above, for Sunday, 13 December 2015, we only had enough for a 5-a-side on a small pitch, while for Sunday, 20 December 2015, I struggled to get to 14 with newer players who have been playing at Khalsa, and other players who usually play at either Khalsa or Macpherson (although we did finally get to 16 in the end). With many Grandstand regulars informing me that they are away until the new year, for the next two weekends, I will consolidate the weekend Grandstand game on Saturday, and switch the Thursday Khalsa game to Sunday. No votes in the poll as to preferred timing for the Sunday night Khalsa game, so I will stick to the usual night-time slot of 9 to 10 pm. Also, as players may, at this time of the year, have other activities planned during the day on Sundays, the later time slot may work better. Also, in recent weeks, there have frequently been short, heavy downpours between 4 and 8 pm. Fortunately, the only occasion it continued to rain beyond 8.30 pm was on Tuesday, 8 December 2015, when we were in any event playing on a covered pitch at The Grandstand. Even then, the it stopped raining by about 8.45 pm. Last night (Monday), there was a short downpour between 8.15 and 8.30 pm, but the game at Macpherson at 9 pm was not affected. As the Khalsa pitch is uncovered, it makes sense at this time of the year to have the game at 9 pm.
From the schedule thread for the game yesterday (Sunday):
.... As the Saturday game finally filled up, there are at least 2 players keen to play 5 to 6 pm tomorrow at The Grandstand, and no names down so far for the 9 to 10 pm game at Khalsa, I'll switch the game back to the usual slot. .... This weekend is the New Year's Day weekend. I assume a lot of players who have been away will be back by then. The more important question is how many of them will want to squeeze in a game over the weekend. I'll schedule the following games and see which ones garner sufficient interest.
- Friday, 1 January 2016 (New Year's Day), 5 to 6 pm, The Grandstand (big pitch).
- Saturday, 2 January 2016, 5 to 6 pm, The Grandstand (big pitch), as usual.
- Sunday, 3 January 2016, 5 to 6 pm, The Grandstand (big pitch), reinstating the usual Sunday game.
- Sunday, 3 January 2016, 8 to 9 pm, Khalsa, trying out an earlier time slot, which now has 1 vote in favour.
Games that don't have sufficient interest will be cancelled.
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 8, 2016 8:42:59 GMT 8
Continuing from above, the game scheduled for New Year's Day (Friday 1 January 2016) at The Grandstand, and the extra game on Sunday (3 January 2016), 8 to 9 pm, at Khalsa, were both cancelled with only one name down for the Friday game. However, since then, every game from Monday this week to Monday next week has filed up with a total of up to 38 players on waitlist!: - For Monday, 4 January 2016 at Macpherson, up to 5 on waitlist, and finally 3 left on waitlist even after withdrawals.
- For Tuesday, 5 January 2016 at The Grandstand (small pitch), up to 3 on waitlist, and finally 2 left on waitlist even after a withdrawal.
- For Wednesday, 6 January 2016 at Khalsa, up to 7 on waitlist, and finally 6 left on waitlist even after a withdrawal.
- For Thursday, 7 January 2016 at Khalsa, up to 4 on waitlist, and finally 2 left on waitlist even after withdrawals.
- For Saturday, 9 January 2016 at The Grandstand, currently 9 on waitlist.
- For Monday, 11 January 2016 at Macpherson, up to 10 on waitlist, currently 8 on waitlist.
Only the game on Sunday (10 January 2015) at Grandstand was slow to fill up, with the places just filled up this morning. It must be all the resolutions to lose weight and get fit after all the indulgences over Christmas and the New Year.  As always, I don't know how long this surge in numbers will last.  From the schedule thread for the Saturday game: .... Big field Rajiv? 11 or 12 a side to accommodate all players? Subject to availability of an 11-a-side pitch, I will only consider switching to an 11-a-side game if at least 22 of those down for the game are in favour of doing so. No point my going to all that trouble if at the end, we don't have enough players for an 11-a-side game. I've added a poll. The poll will close at noon on Friday. Players should bear in mind that 11-a-side pitches are not covered. Switching to 3 teams over two hours might be more viable, but in recent years, players have generally been opposed to such a switch. Anyway, I've included that as an option in the poll. It will be to a proper 11-a-side pitch, subject to availability. Anyway, I need 22 players in favour by noon tomorrow before I even look into it any further. Out of the 24 players down for Saturday, currently, 5 are in favour while 3 are against. Also, I am reluctant to make any changes to accommodate more players when there are 4 places still available for the equivalent game on Sunday. And from the schedule thread for the Monday game: .... I am open to playing with 3 teams over 2 hours, but last time I put up a poll on that for the Monday night game, it was 6-2 against, so I won't bother this time. Having up to 38 players on waitlist does not take into account other players who might have wanted to play but are don't put their names down as there are already so many on waitlist! The remaining recourse to create more places for those keen to play is to schedule an extra game, this week, on Sunday, from 8 to 9 pm, at Khalsa, so I will do that. |
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Post by Rajiv on Mar 24, 2016 16:44:41 GMT 8
For Chinese New Year ( Monday 8 February 2016, and Tuesday 9 February 2016), the games were switched to a big pitch at The Grandstand, from 5 to 6 pm. The game on Monday was cancelled, with only 6 names. The game on Tuesday went ahead 8-a-side. Chen Hong just messaged me to ask if there is a game tomorrow (Good Friday) from 5 to 6 pm at The Grandstand. I didn't even think about it. Generally, for some time now, long weekends have not been good for extra games. The next two public holidays fall at the weekend, Labour Day (1 May 2016) on a Sunday, and Vesak Day (21 May 2016) on a Saturday. Monday 2 May 2016 is also a public holiday as Labour Day falls on a Sunday, so I might switch the Monday game to The Grandstand at 5 to 6 pm, as was the case for the second day of the Chinese New Year. |
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Post by Rajiv on Apr 26, 2016 8:41:09 GMT 8
I won't schedule the extra game at Khalsa on 1 May 2016. Instead, I was thinking of having an extra game on Monday afternoon/evening at The Grandstand, but no pitch currently available.
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Post by Rajiv on Jun 14, 2016 23:03:29 GMT 8
As Labour Day (1 May 2016) fell on a Sunday, 2 May 2016 was a public holiday. Despite having players on waitlist, with several withdrawals on the day of the game itself, and some players not wanting to play 6-a-side, we were left short. From the schedule thread: .... HYFA inform me there is a $55 cancellation fee. Those who withdrew or were contingent have agreed to pay $5 each. I'm asking HYFA to waive the fee. HYFA has agreed to waive the cancellation fee. With the start of the school holidays on 28 May 2016, and the Puasa month on 6 June 2016, even the usually popular games have suffered, as follows: - The Sunday game at the Grandstand on 5 June 2016 was cancelled, with only 9 players left after withdrawals.
- 7 withdrawals for the Monday game at Macpherson on 6 June 2016 left us scrambling for numbers, although we finally got enough.
- We needed 2 new players to fill the Wednesday game at Khalsa on 8 June 2016.
- The Sunday game at the Grandstand on 12 June 2016 struggled to get to 12, and with players not keen on switching to a small pitch or an outdoor pitch, the game was cancelled.
- The Monday game at Macpherson last night (13 June 2016) was cancelled with only 7 names down.
Further, HYFA @ Macpherson and the new manager at the Premier Pitch @ Grandstand have been sticky with late cancellations, saying I would have to pay for cancelling less than 48 hours before the game. I will need to review the GIFFA system to deal with this. I am away from tomorrow until next Tuesday, so I can't manage games that are struggling to fill up while I am away. Therefore, I will not be scheduling games for Sunday, 19 June 2016, and Monday, 20 June 2016. The less popular games (Tuesday night at Grandstand (small pitch) and Thursday night at Khalsa) have been filling up better. However, the Khalsa game this Thursday (16 June 2016) only has 4 names down. It also clashes with the England v Wales match at Euro 2016. As I am away, I can't manage the game, so it is cancelled. The new manager at the Premier Pitch @ Grandstand has also asked me to consider switching the Sunday game to either 4 to 5 pm or 6 to 7 pm to leave a 2 hour block of 4 to 6 pm or 5 to 7 pm. I will discuss this further when I get back. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jul 25, 2016 16:17:57 GMT 8
Continuing from the post above, we only had 17 games in June 2016. The previous low in a month was 18. I'm away again in the week of National Day (9 August 2016). There will be no game on National Day itself (Tuesday), and the eve of National Day (Monday, 8 August 2016). I can't risk having a lot of withdrawals on those days, which I won't be able to deal with while away. Instead, I will have an extra game at Macpherson on Sunday night, before I leave on Monday. |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 7, 2016 22:20:19 GMT 8
The extra game at Macpherson on Sunday, 7 August 2016, was cancelled with no names down. Monday, 12 September 2016 is a public holiday, Hari Raya Haji. Due to the high rate of withdrawals and the problems that cause to me as discussed above, I will not have games at Macpherson on public holidays or the eve of public holidays. Instead, for Monday, 12 September 2016, the game will be at Khalsa from 6 to 7 pm. |
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Post by Rajiv on Dec 18, 2016 14:02:39 GMT 8
The next two Saturdays are Christmas eve and New Year's eve. We haven't had a game on Christmas eve or New Year's eve for several years now, not in 2015, 2014, 2103 or 2012. I won't schedule games for the next two Saturdays. I currently do not have bookings for Sunday. From the "Alternatives for a regular Sunday evening game" thread on the "Stand-Alone Polls" board: .... When I called the Premier Pitch @ Grandstand on Friday evening (2 Dec 2016) to cancel at least 48 hours before as required by the current management, the manager, Zul, said that since I had only used one Sunday slot on the big pitch since 2 October 2016, he would cancel all my Sunday bookings on the big pitch, so that other customers had an opportunity to book a 2-hour slot between 4 and 7 pm. If we get enough players, I can check to see if any one-hour slot on the big pitch is still available between 4 and 7 pm. I can't really argue with that. .... I scheduled games with "flexi-time" for the next two Sundays - 11 December 2016 and today. With some effort, we got to 16 for 11 December 2016. However, today's game has been cancelled, with only 4 names down. I'll do the same for the next two Sundays - Christmas Day and New Year's Day - to see if there is enough interest. As the next two Mondays are also public holidays, I will schedule games on a big covered pitch at The Grandstand for those days as well. Only 6 to 7 pm is available for 26 December 2016, but 5 to 6 pm is available for 2 January 2017. I will not schedule games at Macpherson on those days. And from the "Weekly schedule & number of games" thread: .... Even though the Sunday game at Khalsa has not taken off, I'll continue to schedule it as an extra game until the end of the year. However, to make it more akin to a weekend game, I will schedule it from 9 to 10 pm, and see if that works better. I will skip Khalsa the next two Sundays, and resume on 8 January 2017. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 24, 2017 11:37:19 GMT 8
From the "Days, times & locations" thread: .... Both the Monday public holiday games at the Grandstand were cancelled ( 26 Dec 2016 and 2 Jan 2017), but we did manage a Sunday game at the Grandstand on 1 January 2017 (although the game on 25 December 2016 was also cancelled). I'll continue to schedule both a Sunday evening game at the Grandstand and a Sunday night game at Khalsa until the end of the month. The Sunday evening game will continue to be "flexi-time" until it becomes regular enough for me to make the bookings in advance. This weekend (28 and 29 Jan 2017) are the two days of the Chinese New Year. Monday (30 Jan 2017) is a public holiday in lieu of the second day which falls on Sunday. After three Sundays with a game ( 1 Jan 2017, 8 Jan 2017 and 15 Jan 2017), the Sunday evening game at the Grandstand on 22 Jan 2017 was cancelled due to insufficient players (stuck on 9). I have scheduled the Saturday evening game at the Grandstand as usual for 28 Jan 2017. I won't schedule the Sunday evening game at the Grandstand on 30 Jan 2017. I will just schedule the Khalsa night game. For Monday (30 Jan 2017), being a public holiday, I won't schedule the night game at Macpherson. Instead, I will schedule an evening game at The Grandstand. The big pitch is available from 4 to 5 pm. Being the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Saturday game is slow in filling up. If the Saturday game doesn't fill up, I'll try switching it Sunday evening at the Grandstand. |
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Post by Rajiv on Apr 27, 2017 13:28:42 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Aug 4, 2017 13:06:05 GMT 8
Continuing from above, the game on Labour Day (1 May 2017) at Grandstand went ahead 8-a-side at The Grandstand. The games on Vesak Day (Wednesday, 10 May 2017) and Hari Raya Puasa (Sunday, 25 June 2017), went ahead as usual. Next Wednesday is National Day. No small pitch is available at The Grandstand on the eve (8 August 2017) for the usual Tuesday game, so no game is scheduled for that night. Instead of the Tuesday night game, I will schedule an additional game from 4 to 5 pm at The Grandstand, on National Day (9 August 2017). The Wednesday night game at Khalsa will be schedule as usual. |
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Post by Rajiv on Nov 26, 2017 8:57:12 GMT 8
Continuing from above, the game switched to National Day (9 August 2017) from the night before was cancelled due to insufficient players. From the "Weekly schedule & number of games" thread: .... Based on current availability, I will schedule the following additional games in November 2017: - 8 to 9 pm on a big pitch at Macpherson on Fridays. If that is too early, the alternative for Friday nights is 9 to 10 pm at Khalsa.
- 10 to 11 pm on a big pitch at Macpherson on Tuesday. Currently, there is no alternative.
On a separate note, the current management at Premier Pitch @ Grandstand are more interested in cultivating new customers than keeping existing customers happy. They have twice in recent months made our regular Tuesday night slot on the covered pitch available to other customers, forcing us onto the uncovered pitch - on 12 September 2017 and again on 10 October 2017. I am now informed that the same applies to two further dates in November and December 2017 - 14 November 2017 and 12 December 2017. Again, we are forced onto the uncovered pitch. It looks like some other customer wants the covered pitch once a month on a Tuesday night (including 9 to 10 pm), so we have to make do with the uncovered pitch. Numbers have dropped off over the last couple of weeks, with even Sunday, Monday (after several withdrawals) and Tuesday games a struggle to fill. As numbers may not pick up until after Chinese New Year. I may not schedule the extra games until then. Regular games that are too slow to fill up will also be cancelled. There will be no regular game on Christmas Day (25 Dec 2017) and New Year's Day (1 Jan 2018). Both are days are Monday, so no night game at Macpherson on those days. |
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 6, 2018 10:00:06 GMT 8
Continuing from the post above:
From the "Weekly schedule & number of games" thread: .... In the above circumstances, I will not schedule a Monday night game at Macpherson until March 2018, after Chap Go Mei which is on 2 March 2018. Until then, the alternative games are: - Friday nights at Macpherson (9 to 10 pm).
- Sunday nights at Khalsa (6 to 7 pm).
- Tuesday nights at Khalsa (10 to 11 pm).
As Chinese New Year falls on 16 and 17 February 2018 (Friday and Saturday), I will have the Macpherson game on Monday night (12 Feb 2018) instead of on Friday. As such, I won't schedule the additional Tuesday night game at Khalsa, or the regular night game at Khalsa on Thursday (eve of Chinese New Year). For Friday, the first day of the Chinese New Year, I have a 4 to 5 pm slot on the big pitch at The Grandstand. I won't do the extra Sunday game at Khalsa on 18 February 2018 (third day of the Chinese New Year). |
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Post by Rajiv on Mar 25, 2018 16:22:20 GMT 8
I have a big pitch at The Grandstand from 4 to 5 pm on Good Friday (30 March 2018).
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Post by Rajiv on Apr 25, 2018 8:27:31 GMT 8
Continuing from above, the Good Friday game did not go on. Tuesday, 1 May 2018 is Labour Day, so I won't schedule a night game at McPherson the night before (Monday, 30 April 2018) or a night game on a small pitch at Grandstand on the public holiday itself. Instead, I will schedule an evening game (5 to 6 pm) on a big pitch at Grandstand on Labour Day (Tuesday). |
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Post by Rajiv on May 24, 2018 9:31:59 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Jun 11, 2018 10:01:04 GMT 8
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As always, I don't know how long this surge in numbers will last. 
