Sale to play home games on Saturdays

Sale Sharks have confirmed that they will play their home games next season at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday afternoons at 2pm.
Co-Owner Brian Kennedy said: ” The club have played Friday night rugby since 2002, but with the move to the new stadium in 2012, the attendances have dropped off despite the team playing winning rugby this season.
“We have taken on board the feedback from our supporters and the main reason for non attendance would appear to be transport problems that accompany Friday evening games.
“We have played two Saturday afternoon games in 2014 and our supporters tell us that they have a more relaxed journey to the stadium and enjoy their experience better.”
Sale Sharks Chairman Gordon McKie added: “Saturday afternoon kick off times will allow us to reach out to a much bigger potential audience across the wider community and schools. On the transport front, the difficulties in reaching the stadium on a Friday evening are well documented and we believe our supporters will be able to make a day out of game-day on Saturdays rather than having to rush to and from the stadium on Friday evenings.
“The Board of Directors have agreed to the move for 2014/15 season but we will revisit matters once the promised new road and bridge are in place. To assist our supporters, we will continue to provide a free shuttle service from the Trafford Centre and may increase the number of buses if demand increases. I know this decision will not be popular for everybody but we ask our fans to continue to support us as we believe that the decision is in the best interests of the club at this time.”