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Post by Rajiv on Sept 6, 2011 17:42:42 GMT 8
I know that it's because it's the weekend. That's why my post was under the "Extra game at the weekend" thread, and not under the "Issues with Premier Pitch @ Turf City" thread. My post was about why we're stuck with extra games on Sunday, not Saturday, and not about the venue. The weekend games at Khalsa have been cancelled because they're new games and I've given priority to Turf City (including lots of SMSing when necessary). The weeknight games at Khalsa on Wednedsay and Thursday (like the weekend games when they first started), were slow to start with, but look at them now. All our games were entirely weeknight up to April 2009, and there was resistance to weekend games to being with. I guess it's human nature to resist new things. The aspect of Turf City which is a bigger headache than for Khalsa is that if we're stuck at 12, I have to consider switching to a small pitch at Turf City, but that has been addressed under the other thread. The fact remains all our weekend games are at Turf City, which increases choice for some, and reduces choice for others. However, I did not specifically refer to it in the above post. The issue with Khalsa (specifically referred to in the above post) is exposure to the elements. |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 7, 2011 8:55:15 GMT 8
We've already reached 3 reserves for this Saturday.On second thoughts, we could consider an extra game on Saturday (subject to availability of a pitch): * 5 to 6 pm or 6 to 7 pm at Khalsa. The later start would make playing under the sun less of an issue. However, it runs later into a Saturday evening. * 6 to 7 pm at Turf City. It runs later into a Saturday evening, but that's all that might be available.
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 9, 2011 10:34:37 GMT 8
Earlier, there were 3 reserves for the Saturday ame, and the Sunday game was slower to fill up. Now however, there are 2 reserves for Saturday and 3 for Sunday. It's too late to try to get an extra game going on Saturday. However, if there is sufficient interest, we can try an extra game on Sunday, 6 to 7 pm, at Khalsa. Again, as an extra game at Khalsa, it will be $8 per player. For me, it is more practical to have the extra game after the two regular games over the weekend, rather than in between. |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 13, 2011 23:51:59 GMT 8
There was no extra game last weekend. The games fill up fast, but players withdraw as other stuff comes up for them as the weekend approaches. Again, both the Saturday and Sunday games have filled up within a day. I'll schedule an extra game for Sunday, 6 to 7 pm, at Khalsa. I'll only try to fill it if 4 or 5 players put their names down for it on the message board. |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 23, 2011 11:17:01 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 23, 2011 11:22:38 GMT 8
There's a 9-a-side pitch at Khalsa. .... ...we could try 9 or 10-a-side on the 9-a-side pitch at Khalsa. It's not floodlit, but it wouldn't matter during the daytime. Only risk is rain, but are we really that afraid of rain? Lightning and thunder maybe, but rain .... I'm told regulars even play 11-a-side on that pitch. We should try it out sometime. From next month onwards, I have got an extra slot at Turf City for Sunday, but not Saturday, so we could try out the 9-a-side pitch at Khalsa on a Saturday sometime. Subject to availability of course. If there is sufficient interest, I am also prepared to consider Saturday mornings at Turf City, say 10 to 11 am, a late morning start to accomodate the late risers. As always, subject to availability. |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 29, 2011 8:02:01 GMT 8
Other than 8 September 2011, when the 9 to 10 pm slot was not available at Sports Planet, we've had two games every Thursday night since 25 August 2011: * 9 to 10 pm at Khalsa (A) * 9 to 10 pm at Sports Planet (B) For 8 September 2011, we actually had enough players for 9 to 10 pm, but when I updated everyone to let them know that only 10 to 11 pm was available, numbers fell away. .... One thing has become clear - 10 to 11 pm on a big pitch at Sports Planet is not viable at the present time. I'm not sure a 10 to 11 pm slot on weeknights is viable at any venue. If I do ever try it again, it will be at The Cage, where we can get by with 8 to 10 players. For the two games on Thursday nights, we easily get 24 even 26 players, but getting the last couple of players is tough. Like tonight. And a fortnight ago. Especially since Sports Planet games are more prone to withdrawals. Players at Sports Planet may have to be prepared to go ahead 6-a-side for a while, until the pool of players grows a bit more. The alternative would be to cancel the Thursday night game at Sports Planet if we're stuck with 12 players, which I'm not keen to do. If we get to 12, why shouldn't we just go ahead with the game? Anyway: .... ..., on days where there are two games, $1 will be knocked off the price. .... .... If I get an extra slot from 8 to 9 pm at Khalsa on either Wednesdays or Thursdays, I'll use it for a challenge match. I don't see us doing any more 7-a-side games on weeknights for some time to come. If we do have an additional weeknight game, it will be 5-a-side at The Cage on Wednesday nights. As we're only discussing an additional 5-a-side game for now, and not 7-a-sides, I'll rename this thread "Extra games on weeknights". |
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Post by Rajiv on Oct 20, 2011 22:33:06 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Oct 30, 2011 11:53:40 GMT 8
If it is not being used for a team match, the big pitch is available from 4 to 5 pm on Sundays to accommodate any surge in numbers over the weekend: .... ..., if the 5 to 6 pm slot fills up quickly, I will try to arrange a modified challenge match for the 4 to 5 pm slot: * Any two players down for the 5 to 6 pm game keen on a more challenging match can pick their teams from the pool available for the 5 to 6 pm game (subject to the player's availability for the earlier time slot). * Any shortfall in players for the 4 to 5 pm game can be made up from other players (up to 3). .... If the 4 to 5 pm game goes ahead, anyone playing in the 4 to 5 pm game can only be in reserve for the 5 to 6 pm game. .... Therefore, theoretically, we could have up to 32 players putting their named sown for the 5 to 6 pm game, of whom 16 could be selected for the challenge match from 4 to 5 pm. If we are short of 32, the numbers could be made up from players outside the pool, or some players playing both games. Whether the 4 to 5 pm slot is used really depends how quickly the 5 to 6 pm slot fills up, and the total number of players available. On the other hand, if there are later a lot of withdrawals, the 4 to 5 pm game will be cancelled. However: .... ... in order to make use of the 4 to 5 pm slot, I need to have a sense by Friday that we have enough players for two games on Sunday. .... .... For the game today (Sunday) from 5 to 6 pm, although we've gotten up to 5 reserves (including two who are contingent due to injury and illness), we only had one reserve at the end of Friday. If you're keen to play at the weekend, better to put your name down early. Not only does it guarantee you a place, it also gives me a sense of whether we need two games on the Sunday. |
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Post by Rajiv on Dec 5, 2011 17:39:07 GMT 8
We had an an extra game on Sunday, 27 November 2011 (from 4 to 5 pm), but we didn't manage one yesterday (Sunday, 4 December 2011), even though an extra 4 to 5 pm game was scheduled. A brief history of extra games on Sundays: .... We've now had two 4 to 5 pm games since July 2011. The first, on 21 August 2011, was scheduled as an extra game, and ended up as "Monday Boys versus the Rest". By September, I stopped trying to schedule an extra game every Sunday (whether 4 to 5 pm at Turf City or 6 to 7 pm Khalsa) as the numbers, even for the regular 5 to 6 pm game at Turf City, were not consistent enough. However, I have had a regular 4 to 5 pm booking every Sunday since October 2011. The booking is used either to accommodate a surge in numbers on Sunday, or, if two teams are available, for a team match. In 2010, we had two games on Sunday, one from 5 to 6 pm, and the other from 6 to 7 pm, both on the big pitch, on the following dates: * 25 July 2010, first, and second. * 29 August 2010, first, and second. * 5 September 2010, first, and second. We also had an extra game on a small pitch from 6 to 7 pm on Sunday, 21 August 2010, which had originally been scheduled as a mixed game, but we didn't get any female players. The 6 to 7 pm games were scheduled separately, but numbers dried up, and finally, the women took over the 6 to 7 pm slot. .... Initially, there was only one game scheduled for 27 November 2011 (5 to 6 pm), but as it filled up fairly quickly, I opened up the 4 to 5 pm slot, and it was filled by a mix of SMSes and posts on the message board. I changed the name of the thread to indicate "4 or 5 pm" to cover both games. I will stick with that for now - using a single thread for the Sunday game(s) but indicating "4 or 5 pm" to allow players to state if they are available for both, either, or only one. If by Friday, it looks like there will only be enough for one game, the 4 to 5 pm game will be cancelled. Despite being $1 more per player, the Saturday game still fills up faster than the Sunday game. The standard of the Sunday game(s) is fairly close to that of the Saturday game, with some competitive games over the last couple of weeks. .... Using payment to influence numbers works both ways. This was envisaged at the outset: .... If those who can play either day, but only want to play on one day, stick with Sunday, we're more likely to have two games on Sunday, thus providing up to 16 more players with a game.
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Post by Rajiv on Dec 13, 2011 8:42:49 GMT 8
We had two games again on Sunday (11 December 2011), the first from 4 to 5 pm, and the second from 5 to 6 pm, like the last time. Foo Cheong sent me the following private message at 5.15 pm on Sunday: The Saturday game at Turf City was from 4 to 5 pm from when it was first started in April 2010 until September 2010. It was switched to 5 to 6 pm in October 2010 because: ... we have struggled to fill the big pitch from 4 to 5 pm for a few Saturdays before that. From October 2010 onwards, I have the big pitch at the Premier Pitch on Saturday for both 4 to 5 pm and 5 to 6 pm. The 5 to 6 pm slot is very popular on Sundays, and it might be a bit easier to fill places for the 5 to 6 pm slot on Saturdays as well, so I'll switch the game on Saturdays to the later time from October 2010 onwards, and cancel the 4 to 5 pm booking. .... Even since the switch, the Saturday game has at various times struggled to fill up, as recently as several games in July 2011. I don't think whether the weekend game are from 4 to 5 pm or 5 to 6 pm makes much difference as to player availability. 4 to 5 pm is hotter, and more draining during the hotter seasons. Apart from that, it appears to be more about who else is playing. Since then, the Saturday game has become very popular. However, the 4 to 5 pm slot has not been available for an extra game on Saturdays. I think what happened on Sunday is that when players saw who were playing in the 4 to 5 pm game, they thought it would be a more competitive game, so some who were available for both later indicated a preference for the earlier one. It is still advisable that those who are available for both indicate they are available for both, even if they indicate a preference as well, so that they maintain their priority for both games. If you state only one game, but don't get in for that game, either because there are 16 players ahead of you, or the game is cancelled due to insufficient numbers, you have no priority for the other game. Anyway, there is only one 4 to 5 pm booking left until the end of the year, that is, this Sunday (18 December 2011). January 2012 bookings are not available yet. |
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Post by Rajiv on Dec 24, 2011 10:01:37 GMT 8
The 4 to 5 pm game last Sunday was cancelled due to insufficient numbers. .... .... Anyway, it looks like everyone can play 5 to 6 pm, but only 12 of the 14 down so far can play 4 to 5 pm. .... For today: When I SMSed earlier today, some of the responses I got suggests that others who might play have other engagements in the evening before Christmas. As the big pitch is available from 4 to 5 pm, we might be able to pick up more players if the game is moved forward. I've SMSed those who have already put their names down, and they can make the earlier slot, so the game is brought foward to 4 to 5 pm. I will change the title to this thread accordingly, and SMS again. .... . Generally, 4 to 5 pm would work better on Saturdays, as people make plans for Saturday evening. Unfortunately, as stated in the preceding post, the 4 to 5 pm slot has not been generally available on Saturdays.
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 12, 2012 10:21:07 GMT 8
The game tonight (Thursday) at Khalsa has been cancelled again. Last week: We've only managed two Thursday night games at Khalsa since 27 October 2011, one on 17 November 2011 and the other on 29 December 2011. I'll continue to schedule two games for Thursday nights, one game at East Coast and the other at Khalsa. However, if by Wednesday, it looks like we don't have enough for two games on Thursday, unless the East Coast game has significantly more players, I will cancel the East Coast game and consolidate numbers for the Khalsa game. I expect the East Coast games will continue to fill up first. Since 3 November 2011, there has not been a Thursday night game at East Coast on only three occasions: * The East Coast games on 17 and 24 November 2011 were cancelled. In fact, there was no game on 24 November 2011. * The East Coast game on 1 December 2011 did not go ahead due to a mix up over the booking. There was no Thursday night game on that day either. * No game was scheduled for East Coast on 29 December 2011. Even then, as numbers were slow to pick up, the Khalsa game that night was almost switched to East Coast. .... I'll make more of an effort to re-start the Thursday night game at Khalsa once the Wednesday night game at Khalsa and the Thursday night game at East Coast have stabilised. Probably after Chinese New Year.
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 12, 2012 10:36:30 GMT 8
I've considered having an extra game on Wednesday nights at Kallang. For three weeks towards the end of last year, with reduced numbers, the Wednesday night game was switched from Khalsa to Kallang: * 21 December 2011. The game was finally cancelled due to insufficient numbers. * 28 December 2011. The game went ahead. * 4 January 2011. The game went ahead. The minimum number for Khalsa is 12, while for Kallang, it is 8. Longer term, the regular Wednesday night game will be at Khalsa, so it may take a while to have a regular Wednesday night game at Kallang. However, when the Monday is a public holiday, I may switch the Kallang game from Monday to Wednesday, as I did for Christmas (Monday, 26 December 2011 a public holiday) and New Year (Monday, 2 January 2012 a public holiday). As any extra weeknight games will be limited, this thread is more useful for discussing weeknight games generally, so I'll rename this thread accordingly.
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PRG Player
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Post by Raj Singh on Jan 12, 2012 13:27:39 GMT 8
Hi Rajiv what about have Thursday night matches at Turf City ? Probably we can start that and see if any interest .
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 13, 2012 9:47:45 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 20, 2012 11:51:33 GMT 8
We twice had two games on Sunday at Turf City (one from 4 to 5 pm, the other from 5 to 6 pm) in the fourth quarter of 2011: * On 27 November 2011. * On 11 December 2011. As set out in the preceding posts, if there is only one game on Sunday, it is usually from 5 to 6 pm. For the last two Sundays, there were again more players for 5 to 6 pm on Sunday than 4 to 5 pm (by the Friday). For 8 January 2012: .... ..., assuming that those who have not specified can make either time slot, only 11 can make 4 to 5 pm, while all 15 can make 5 to 6 pm. .... For 15 January 2012: .... ..., assuming that those who have not specified can make either time slot, only 6 can make 4 to 5 pm, while all 12 can make 5 to 6 pm. .... For weekends, it makes sense when the next day is a working day to have the game from 5 to 6 pm, as people are more likely to have family activity earlier in the day (Sundays). If the next day is an off day, it may make sense to bring the game forward to 4 to 5 pm as people may go out in the evenings (Saturdays). Unfortunately, as stated in the preceding posts, the 4 to 5 pm slot has not been generally available on Saturdays. Therefore, when the Monday is a public holiday, it makes sense to bring the Sunday game forward to 4 to 5 pm. However, for Christmas and New Year (both of which fell on a Sunday), we did not have a game at all on the Sunday. Instead, we had an equivalent game on the Monday public holiday. The Chinese New Year public holidays fall on Monday and Tuesday (23 and 24 January 2012). This time, the Sunday game has been brought forward to 4 pm to accommodate reunion dinners on Sunday night. .... As any extra weeknight games will be limited, this thread is more useful for discussing weeknight games generally, so I'll rename this thread accordingly. Likewise for the weekend games, so this thread has also been renamed accordingly. |
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Post by Foo Cheong on Jan 30, 2012 9:43:24 GMT 8
.... ... no bookings for February 2012 yet, which means I can't put up games for next weekend yet. .... In the event that Premier Pitch is unable to take bookings for the whole of February, what is the availability of pitches at Khalsa on Saturday and Sunday afternoon? Maybe even the 9-a-side pitch can be considered. I think some (hopefully many) Turf City regulars would be willing to play at Khalsa rather than not play at all. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 30, 2012 16:05:19 GMT 8
In the event that Premier Pitch is unable to take bookings for the whole of February, what is the availability of pitches at Khalsa on Saturday and Sunday afternoon? Maybe even the 9-a-side pitch can be considered. I think some (hopefully many) Turf City regulars would be willing to play at Khalsa rather than not play at all. The following slots are available in February 2012 at Khalsa: * 3 to 4 pm or 6 to 7 pm on Saturdays, except 18 February 2012 when only the 3 to 4 pm slot is available. * 5 to 6 pm on Sundays. The 9-a-side pitch is also not available from 4 to 6 pm on Saturdays. I'll wait until Wednesday or Thursday for the Premier Pitch to get back to me on the availablity at Turf City in February 2012. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jan 31, 2012 12:45:49 GMT 8
.... This weekend's game will be at Turf City as usual. |
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