Scottish Football Could End the 3pm TV Blackout as Perth Dads Realise They Might Have to Find a New Excuse to Leave the House
Saturday afternoon matches may soon be on telly. In Perthshire, a generation of men face sitting on the couch next to the family.
A football stadium at 3pm, which might soon be on the telly too. Photo: Mike Pennington, “East stand, McDiarmid Park, Perth geograph-3933811-by-Mike-Pennington”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Scottish football is considering ending the 3pm television blackout, and Perth fathers are worried about what it might mean for their Saturday afternoons.
“Football at 3pm is not just football,” said a Scone man with a season ticket. “It’s two hours of not putting up shelves. If it’s on the telly, my wife will say: watch it here. Then she’ll hand me a drill.”
Club officials say the blackout protects attendances. Supporters say it protects marriages. “I don’t go to McDiarmid for the football,” said one. “Well, I do. But I also go for the pie and the quiet.”
Others are in favour. “I’d love to watch it at home,” said a Kinross man. “I’d still shout. I’d still blame the referee. But I’d be warm, and the pie would be cheaper.”
The authorities say no final decision has been made. Perth’s DIY shops are said to be watching closely.
The real story: Scottish football (BBC Sport)
Letters to the Editor
The views expressed are those of the reader, and frankly that's on them.
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I’ve not put up a shelf since 2003 and I’m not starting now. Keep the blackout.
— Mike T., Scone, 31 October 2026 -
I’ve got a list of shelves ready. Let the telly have the football.
— Lesley H., Bridge of Earn, 31 October 2026
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