world cup

[Langdale Wolf]

I think your attitude might well be different if you were one of the thousands that set-off at 9am on Wednesday morning and didn't get in until 9pm of the evening. One thing is for sure, whatever happens, there will be a lot of very angry football fans stuck in cars while the match is on.

Still, at least they'll be able to show it on the Wednesday. The weekend games present a nearly intractable problem:

1) Nowhere but the Pyramid is large enough to cater for everyone that wants to see it (short of a new field).

2) It can't be scheduled in to the programme as England might be playing on the Saturday, playing on the Sunday, or not playing at all. There needs to be stuff on at the Pyramid if they're not playing (or the other stages may get too crowded) so they can't just leave it empty.

The only option I can see is find a band willing to play conditionally in either slot depending on where England finish. And do two sets if they don't get through!

Or announce it beforehand and stick to the position that the games won't be shown anywhere on site and those wanting to see them should get a refund and stay at home. Since the whole thing sold out so quickly Eavis is in a much stronger position to tell people that are more interested in football than the festival to stay at home, if he wanted to.

[Toilet Duck]

...just move the cinema back to where it used to be...plenty of room as if the match clashes with the stones, I doubt 100,000 people will try and watch it! I honestly can't see the festival rescheduling stages to accommodate the match, they'll either show it on a screen somewhere else (and limit the number of people there) or not at all..They could also do what U2 did for one of Ireland's world cup matches when they played slane....show the second half between the headliner and 2nd from top...the turnaround is generally 30-40 minutes on the pyramid anyway and can still go on while the match is shown in the big screens. Only complication is that it's a second round game so could go to extra time and penalties (in which case the stones might only get an hour and a half!...if indeed saturday is the stones)..

[fraz]

My forward planning dictates taking a radio to listen to the game on. For the time being i see this as the best solution to ensure i dont miss it.

[dan05delaney]

...(in which case the stones might only get an hour and a half!...if indeed saturday is the stones)..

[Mardy]

it's a real problem, I think.

I sort of agree, I can't see them messing around with the different eventualities on the pyramid stage

Open up the cinema field or don't show it? The cinema field doesn't seem big enough, crushes on the way in/on the way out? If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that ME takes the risk if crushing and crowd safety very seriously indeed.

[Langdale Wolf]

My forward planning dictates taking a radio to listen to the game on. For the time being i see this as the best solution to ensure i dont miss it.

[Buddhafish]

.......

If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that ME takes the risk if crushing and crowd safety very seriously indeed.

[kerplunk]

It was more wishful thinking on my behalf. I'm not looking forward to the bunfight for camping spots next year, and the draw (though brilliant from an England fans view) is a bad one from the point of view of the site being rammed early again.

I can't remember 2002, but for the weekend game back in 98 they used the outdoor cinema field, and it caused a bad crush at the exit a the end of the game.

I would definitely take the benefits of a chilled glasto-wednesday over being able to watch a group game at the festival (IF you get in in time) but that's me.

If they don't get through it won't matter much but if they win you still get to watch a last 16 game at glasto.

[Langdale Wolf]

Probably the most pertinent point made so far.....

[irons]

Impossible situation. ME wont know if England have even qualified until the Wednesday when all the bands are booked and will be expecting to play. There's 2 obvious solutions for the weekend game.

1) Don't show it.

2) Put Led Zep on at the time. Then he can shove it on the cinema tent and 100 people will turn up if your lucky. Sorted.

[Mardy]

you see, the other thing I'm thinking is if they say 'No, we're not showing it', then just like in Euro 2008, people will gather anywhere there's a portable telly; the wine bars, or the Growler stall or whatever, which is potentially even more problematic.

Like you say, i don't envy the Eavises on this one. My gut feeling is there's just too many last minute options to make it practical on the pyramid.

[medzy]

Oh and what will the weather hold for us on these days.........

[sprocketrocket]

FFS football is on everyday pretty much, If you want to watch it leave site and find a pub.

[Langdale Wolf]

you see, the other thing I'm thinking is if they say 'No, we're not showing it', then just like in Euro 2008, people will gather anywhere there's a portable telly; the wine bars, or the Growler stall or whatever, which is potentially even more problematic.

Like you say, i don't envy the Eavises on this one. My gut feeling is there's just too many last minute options to make it practical on the pyramid.

[WS_Jack_III]

what about a screen in where the old cinema field was and one at that flag topia area?

[Buddhafish]

But I have a feeling that they won't want to say 'it's definitely not on' because a LOT of people WILL leave the site to watch it someone. I'm sure a mass exodus is not what they'd want either.

Personally, I wouldn't leave the site no matter what, but I'd find it hard knowing I couldn't watch it. I'd get over it, and there's no way I'm letting anything football related ruin my Glastonbury.

[Mardy]

yeah, the problem with people leaving and then coming back is you're going to get very long queues and stuff, extra problems with road management etc. I dunno, I really don't.

If say 40,000 people decide to leave to watch the football 1) where are they going to go? you're looking at a huge radius to absorb that many people 2) the car parks will be a f**king ridiculous mess, cos they'll be odd spaces everywhere and stewarding will be nigh on impossible, and 3) the queues to get back in will be ridiculous, leading to a lot of unhappy punters

[Weasel08]

They can take a seriously safe bet that we'll make the last 16 given the group we're in, I really think they'll plan on the basis that there will definitely be an england knock-out game either 7:30 - 9:30/10:00 sat or 3:00 - 5:00/5:30 Sun.

Logistically, and someone's already suggested this, that means finding a band big enough and flexible enough to take whichever slot it is and leave the other slot empty for the game.

Its likely they'd go for someone big enough to do a sunday afternoon pyramid slot (say Roxy Music as has been rumoured elsewhere) who would equally sit well before the Stones if that is indeed who the Saturday headliners are. they wont need the Stones to be flexible, they just say to them, you've got 10pm-12:30am which is pretty much as expected for the pyramid headliners.

[WS_Jack_III]

only band i can think of that would do a flex slot would be kasabian as i'm sure they'd want to watch the footy

[Paul ™]

What about those that desperate to see the games get their money back and stay at home/go to SA

[Buddhafish]

What about those that desperate to see the games get their money back and stay at home/go to SA

[ThomThomDrum]

what about a screen in where the old cinema field was and one at that flag topia area?

[Weasel08]

only band i can think of that would do a flex slot would be kasabian as i'm sure they'd want to watch the footy

[Weasel08]

And the 2 outside the Queens Head and stick another in the indoor cinema and that should do it.

Plenty of screens across the site would prevent crowd issues and would stop the games interfering with the main stages..........

[irons]

I haven't read any posts here complaining about it to be fair, it's the logistics of it that is arousing debate.