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Post by Rajiv on Feb 10, 2011 12:27:16 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 6, 2012 19:34:26 GMT 8
Today is Chap Goh Mei, "a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day of the lunisolar Chinese New Year celebration". It is also known as the "Lantern Festival" and for many, it is the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day. I understand that for some, it is a bigger thing than the Chinese New Year itself. Not a public holiday itself but over the years: .... I've noticed ... that numbers dip before Chap Goh Mei. .... |
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 23, 2012 10:46:39 GMT 8
.... ... for many, [Chap Goh Mei] is the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day. .... Both games at East Coast. The guys who play at East Coast must be a romantic bunch.  Apart from public holidays, other special occasions, such as Chap Goh Mei and Valentine's Day, or annual events such as the F1, can affect numbers and games. I've renamed this thread "Public holidays etcetera". |
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 2, 2013 11:42:38 GMT 8
Chinese New Year falls next Sunday and Monday (10 and 11 February 2013). Monday and Tuesday (11 and 12 February 2013) are public holidays. I will schedule the following games on a big covered pitch at The Grandstand (formerly Turf City) over the weekend: * Saturday, 9 February 2013, 5 to 6 pm. 4 to 5 pm is not available. * Sunday, 10 February 2013, 4 to 5 pm. * Monday, 11 February 2013, 4 to 5 pm. * Tuesday, 12 February 2013, 5 to 6 pm. The games on Sunday and Monday have been brought forward to 4 pm so that players can still attend evening functions. The game on Tuesday is left at 5 to 6 pm as the next day is a working day. I won't schedule the regular night game on Monday, but I will for Tuesday (as Wednesday is a working day). I don't expect numbers to pick up until after Chap Goh Mei, the 15th day of the lunar calendar, which falls on 24 February 2013. |
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 17, 2013 23:10:13 GMT 8
Three factors in why the Chinese New Year affects numbers, especially for the weekend games: * Several people use the opportunity of 2 public holidays in the same week to go away for the whole week - just need to take 3 days leave, and you can go away for 9 days - Saturday to the following Sunday. * Visiting friends and relatives continues to the following weekend. * Chingay and Chap Goh Mei on the 15th day. * The very wet weather, with greater incidence of the flu. Apart from there being only 3 games last week (Saturday (9 Feb), Tuesday (12 Feb) and Wednesday (13 Feb)), the evening games on Saturday, Tuesday, and this weekend have been relatively slow to fill up. The game last Saturday (eve of the Chinese New Year) didn't fill up until after 2 pm on the day itself. We only had 3 for the Tuesday game the evening before, and again, the game only filled up after 2 pm on the day itself. Yesterday (Saturday, 16 Feb), with not even enough players for a game on a small pitch, the game was cancelled in the late morning, before a concerted effort brought numbers up to 14, enough for a 7-a-side. The game today (Sunday) also ended up as a 7-a-side. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 25, 2014 23:04:56 GMT 8
The game at Kallang on New Year's Day was also cancelled. So for the two weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, we only had 5 games in all: .... .... * 21 to 26 December 2013: 3 games, with the Sunday game (at Rainforest Sports Hub) cancelled, attempts at having games on Christmas eve (Tuesday) and Christmas Day (Wednesday) unsuccessful, so games only on Saturday, Monday and Thursday. * 28 December 2013 to 2 January 2014: 2 games, with the Sunday game (again at Rainforest Sports Hub) cancelled, game on Monday cancelled, no game scheduled for New Year's eve (Tuesday), and both games scheduled for New Year's Day (Wednesday) cancelled, so games only on Saturday and Thursday. With games affected by Christmas and New Year, only 19 games in December 2013. .... With players returning to work and their weekly routines, the number of games per week has gradually increased since the start of the year, returning to the basic 6 last week. However, we have two days of Chinese New Year next weekend - Friday, 31 January 2014 and Saturday, 1 February 2014. Numbers do not return in full until after the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. Even when asking around to fill up games, several players reply to say they will only be back then. In the first few years of doing this (starting 2008), we often had extra games on public holidays. I think players saw our games as a break from their routine, rather than as part of their routine, so they were more likely to play on public holidays. However, in the last couple of years, treating a public holiday like a Saturday or Sunday hasn't often worked out. Players increasingly see our games as part of their routine, so when they have a public holiday break, they take a break from the games as well. Perhaps it is a change in the profile of our players, with more serious players compared to more leisure players in the early years. Or perhaps it is a broader change in the way players see public holidays - as a time to get away or do something different, rather than just some extra leisure time. Perhaps a combination of both factors. Whatever the reason, I have been more cautious in scheduling extra games from 5 to 6 pm at The Grandstand on public holidays. Also, the covered pitch at The Grandstand, which is the preference for that time slot, has not been available. Whatever I may say about public holidays generally, Christmas/New Year and Chinese New Year/Chap Goh Mei, being such major events/festivals affecting virtually everyone, and all within a period of about two months, affect numbers significantly. For the eve of Chinese New Year on Thursday 30 January 2014, with reunion dinners, we already see a rush for the Khalsa game on Wednesday ( filling up within a couple of hours), with no one down so far for Thursday at Khalsa. This morning: .... The thread for Thursday is up. I know it is the eve of Chinese New Year, but those who can play on Thursday, please put your name down for that. If it doesn't look like the Thursday game will go on, I'm prepared to consider, as a one off for the Chinese New Year, and subject to the availability of a second hour, having 3 teams playing 2 hours on Wednesday. Currently, there is no two hour slot (9 to 11 pm) available at Khalsa, nor at The Grandstand (whether with the Premier Pitch or the Rainforest Sports Hub). I've asked them to let me know if two hours becomes available. With no one down for Monday (27 January 2014) at The Grandstand, and with all the Khalsa regulars rushing for Wednesday (29 January 2014), with no one down for Thursday (30 January 2014, Chinese New Year eve) at Khalsa, I'll schedule an extra game from 5 to 6 pm on Friday (the first day of the Chinese New Year). The question for me is whether it should be at the Grandstand or at Khalsa. The Premier Pitch's covered pitch is not available, but one of their uncovered pitches is, as is a pitch at Khalsa. However, with so many on waitlist for Wednesday at Khalsa, and with a second game at Khalsa being unlikely this week due to Thursday being Chinese New Year eve, I am inclined to have the Friday game at Khalsa. Also, we can go ahead at Khalsa even with 12, while we need at least 14 for The Grandstand. Also, if I have the game at The Grandstand, I will have to pay for 2 hours, which would mean switching the Saturday game to the uncovered pitch again. Taking into account all the above considerations, I'll schedule Friday's extra game at Khalsa. However, it is also a long weekend, so players may be away. Games that are very slow to fill up or are well short of players will be cancelled. |
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 13, 2015 8:59:54 GMT 8
Apart from a general slowdown towards the end of last year, We had several games cancelled over Christmas and New Year. As I pointed out earlier on this thread: .... In the first few years of doing this (starting 2008), we often had extra games on public holidays. I think players saw our games as a break from their routine, rather than as part of their routine, so they were more likely to play on public holidays. However, in the last couple of years, treating a public holiday like a Saturday or Sunday hasn't often worked out. Players increasingly see our games as part of their routine, so when they have a public holiday break, they take a break from the games as well. Perhaps it is a change in the profile of our players, with more serious players compared to more leisure players in the early years. Or perhaps it is a broader change in the way players see public holidays - as a time to get away or do something different, rather than just some extra leisure time. Perhaps a combination of both factors. .... , but next Thursday and Friday (19 and 20 February 2015) are the Chinese New Year public holidays. Numbers have slowed down over the past 2 weeks, and based on past experience, I don't really expect numbers to fully pick up until after Chap Goh Mei, the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year. I won't bother scheduling a game on Chinese New Year eve (next Wednesday). Instead, I will do the following: a. Switch the Tuesday game to a 7-a-side at SBSA @ Kallang (the Monday game at Macpherson already has 4 on waitlist). b. Put up the Thursday night 7-a-side game at Khalsa a day early (today). c. Put up the Friday night 5-a-side game at The Cage @ Kallang a day early (tomorrow). Additionally, tomorrow (Saturday) is Valentine's Day, and the Saturday game has been slow to fill up. |
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Post by Rajiv on Mar 29, 2015 20:57:43 GMT 8
It's Good Friday this week. The games yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday) at the Grandstand were slow to fill up. For the Sunday game, we struggled to get the minimum number (14). The games on Monday (at Macpherson) and Wednesday (at Khalsa), which have been filling up fast with several on waitlist, have just about filled up. Lots of places left for Tuesday at SBSA and Thursday at Khalsa. In the circumstances, I won't schedule a game on Good Friday itself (3 April 2015). Continuing from the post above, we only had 3 games the week of Chinese New Year. We had 5 games the following week. We were back to 6 games the week after, but only managed a 5-a-side on the Thursday, which was Chap Goh Mei. |
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