Time for fans to be allowed into grounds

[oxford blue 274]

Public Health officials have told Brighton & Harlequins (where there were test events allowing fans into grounds) that there were no Covid outbreaks attributed to either. The Belgian national team (outbreak worse in Belgium) had been allowed to sell 11000 tickets for friendly v Ivory Coast last night (although attendance was less.) Arsenal are planning to sell 368 tickets for fans to for away game v Man City inside executive lounges. Yet indoors is where virus is more likely to be transmitted. Fans are even banned from National League North & South; my nearest team (Oxford City) would rarely expect more than 368 fans yet are closed.

The situation is ludicrous. No evidence of transmission in grounds, yet 'rich' people can go inside executive lounges. Even a limited number of fans would make games better to watch on tv/streaming; crowd reaction is part of the football experience. For anyone lucky enough to attend a game would be good for mental health as tighter restrictions on socializing come in. 

Yes, the decision the government (and I speculate most have been to a live football game) should be changed at once.

[Mark_w 5,349]

We have a really high number of cases that's growing at a ridiculous rate, with no competent system in place to control it. Everyone should be back in their homes unless absolutely necessary, not going to football matches. Accept the situation for what it is and vote them out next time you have the chance.

[Nalis 5,370]

18 hours ago, Mark_w said:

We have a really high number of cases that's growing at a ridiculous rate, with no competent system in place to control it. Everyone should be back in their homes unless absolutely necessary, not going to football matches. Accept the situation for what it is and vote them out next time you have the chance.

What an over simplistic way of looking at a complex scenario.

[ScrumpyJack 175]

This issue conflicts me so much.

 

Personally, I miss going to the stadium. The whole routine of matchday constitutes to the football experience. From the shit pub lunch to walking down the Raw Dykes, it all contributes.

 

Rationally, I think it is too earlier still, especially with how cases are reportedly starting to rise again. If someone dies at the KP, or any stadium, from transmitting COVID that would be a needless waste of life, and a loss of someone's brother, father, husband, friend etc. With the winter period fast approaching, immune systems are going to take a bit of a battering as it is. I have noticed in recent months people are starting to take hygiene less seriously again. The KP has lots of places that will have a high degree of hand traffic, which could encourage transmission.

 

However, for clubs lower down the pyramid, I really hope a workable solution can be found to stop them from taking such a financial hit. Football clubs historically have been financially mismanaged, which is at the fault of institutional negligence. But for the likes of the Macclesfield Towns and Burton Albions of the country, a lot of the clubs are social hubs. I remember reading in Soccernomics that towns would congregate at cathedrals and churches. Post-Industrial Revolution and the development of league football, social migration made football stadia the new meeting point of local communities. The history and significance of these small clubs are vital to football as a whole, and it seems like without fans a lot of the teams will really struggle.

 

It's such a conflict between the heart and mind at this point.