Western Sydney Wanderers boss Marko Rudan says fans will vote with their remote and switch off the A-League Men if the competition persists with afternoon kick-offs at the height of summer.
Rudan's Wanderers played out a tepid 1-1 draw with Melbourne City on Sunday in a game broadcast by the competition's free-to-air partner Network Ten.
The Australian Professional Leagues renegotiated their TV deal at the start of this season, with Ten broadcasting two games per week in slots on a Saturday at 7.45pm (AEDT) and another on Sundays at 3pm.
The remaining games are shown on Ten's streaming network Paramount Plus, which has yet to introduce a pause and rewind function despite saying it was close to doing so nearly 15 months ago.
Temperatures passed the 32C mark at the Wanderers' CommBank Stadium home on Sunday with Professional Footballers Australia raising concerns about the mid-afternoon kick-off.
"The players recognise match scheduling is complex and that the Australian Professional Leagues has been responsive to managing the impact of heat in recent seasons," PFA co-chief executive Kathryn Gill said in a statement.
"However, it is critical that during the height of summer that matches are scheduled at times that safeguard the health of players and ensures the conditions allow for a high-quality spectacle for the fans."
The PFA has surveyed players over scheduling and while both sides were afforded drinks breaks, Rudan claimed many fans would become bored as players struggled in the summer sun.
"I feel for both sets of players," Rudan said.
"I understand what television means and what it brings in terms of the financials.
"But if you're expecting two sets of teams to put on a great show, you're not going to get that at 3 o'clock.
"I don't understand it. I've not yet seen a really top game of football on a Sunday at 3 o'clock.
"If you don't get the quality on the park, people won't tune in or get a membership."
Rudan pointed to Saturday night's 1-1 draw between Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory as an example of the enthralling football that can be produced in cooler evening weather.
Melbourne Victory's A-League Women coach Jeff Hopkins also flagged concerns about the 3pm kick-offs last week, with another ALW game moved from the timeslot as a result of hot weather.
"I lost three kilos of sweat just standing there on the sideline, imagine what they went through," Rudan said.
"Player welfare has to be paramount, pardon the pun. It's going to be two or three days of recovery for each player."
