[Football] Government Petition to allow supports back at all levels

[RandyWanger]

Bonkers I can go watch football live, indoors in a cinema but I can't outside

 

[dazzer6666]

I didn’t think we’d be getting back, but the RAH thing - plus the general volume of opposing noise increasing from many quarters - makes the government stance on sport completely untenable. I think we’ll end up with a Chelsea test event type scenario - with each club having specific %ages the can accommodate based on infrastructure, concourse size, travelling to/from etc, probably second half of the season.

I’ll go if the opportunity arises. The Chelsea game was very well organised and I don’t use public transport or drink alcohol at matches so would be very happy to turn up and sit in my allocated, socially-distanced seat with my pie and a bovril and watch a game.

 

[Weststander]

I didn’t think we’d be getting back, but the RAH thing - plus the general volume of opposing noise increasing from many quarters - makes the government stance on sport completely untenable. I think we’ll end up with a Chelsea test event type scenario - with each club having specific %ages the can accommodate based on infrastructure, concourse size, travelling to/from etc, probably second half of the season.

I’ll go if the opportunity arises. The Chelsea game was very well organised and I don’t use public transport or drink alcohol at matches so would be very happy to turn up and sit in my allocated, socially-distanced seat with my pie and a bovril and watch a game.

If hospitals fill as predicted by many this winter, I can see restrictions in general increasing. More travel bridges closing, some small freedoms given back to us since the summer curtailed again. I’d be surprised if we see 15,000 reduced capacity gates at The Amex before say March.

 

[junior]

Amazed this has got to three pages without someone starting a binfest.

 

[LamieRobertson]

There's really no excuse if the O2, Alexandra Palace and the Royal Albert Hall are re-opening with restricted capacities in the near future > https://www.iq-mag.net/2020/10/live-music-returns-uk-biggest-venues/#.X3zP9y2ZOqA

Restarting all the pilot events (in sport) would be something

 

[GT49er]

Bill Shankly once said that football is more important than life and death. Many other things that were said, thought, approved or believed 60 years ago are now probably regarded as wrong, reactionary, archaic, or even criminal by two thirds of NSC - Shankly's sound bite should be one of them.

How many people will die because football grounds aren't opened up until we have a vaccine? Can anybody put up a case for saying fewer will die if we do?

Didn't think so ............................

 

[LamieRobertson]

1]If hospitals fill [/B]as predicted by many this winter, I can see restrictions in general increasing. More travel bridges closing, some small freedoms given back to us since the summer curtailed again. I’d be surprised if we see 15,000 reduced capacity gates at The Amex before say March.

If....but by no means certain

 

[GT49er]

If....but by no means certain

Oh, that's alright then - no bother. Let's just carry on ...............................

 

[Bozza]

If hospitals fill as predicted by many this winter, I can see restrictions in general increasing. More travel bridges closing, some small freedoms given back to us since the summer curtailed again. I’d be surprised if we see 15,000 reduced capacity gates at The Amex before say March.

15,000 is too high, certainly, but I think the Chelsea test event of 25% capacity (of the opened areas of the ground) allow lots of space for social distancing.

However, I do agree that we'll not be back for a fair while, very possibly August 2021, and it's more likely that places like the RAH won't open after all than additional places opening.

 

[Poojah]

Royal Albert Hall to see The Nutcracker = posh people
Football ground = plebs

In a game of paper, rock, scissors posh beats plebs.

This is probably going to be the unpopular opinion, and I admit that the governmnent didn't help themselves when they exempted grouse hunting from the rule of six (FFS!), but I do think there are some fundamental differences between theatre-goers and football fans besides social demographics.

There is a slightly more tribal element to football that isn't present with other forms of live entertainment (and I mean that positively in terms of a sense of togetherness, not that football fans are knuckle-dragging neanderthals). Football supporters have a tendancy to congregate in groups (including with people you don't necessarily know, just because you follow the same team) away from the stadium itself in the streets and pubs surrounding the ground. Social distancing etc. can be managed within a given venue be it the Royal Albert Hall or the Amex, but trying to enforce that away from the stadium is going to be a logistical challenge too far.

I don't doubt that there's a nagging doubt somewhere in government circles that football fans can't be trusted, but even with that removed I can see the potential issues that fans in grounds, or more pertinently around grounds, pose.

 

[Palacefinder General]

Let’s just stick with empty grounds and 7-10 goals per match please.

 

[dazzer6666]

If hospitals fill as predicted by many this winter, I can see restrictions in general increasing. More travel bridges closing, some small freedoms given back to us since the summer curtailed again. I’d be surprised if we see 15,000 reduced capacity gates at The Amex before say March.

Possibly.........but it has to be a widely adopted set of principles. I think it’ll be more like 8-10k (the Chelsea pilot but all stands open) at first

 

[LamieRobertson]

Oh, that's alright then - no bother. Let's just carry on ...............................

Well if you want to take it that way then by all means but it’s a churlish remark

 

[portlock seagull]

Since when did government listen to public opinion?!! Actually, I’m not fussed about football returning with crowds. Seems utterly inappropriate with cv19 cases up 25%. PL clubs can easily survive without, and they’re not going to share anything with the rest of the so called ‘football family’ who do need match day income. It’s been a day long coming, decades of telling clubs at every level to get their finances in order have fallen on deaf ears. Football is about the only industry I have zero sympathy for in the current climate. Clubs will go bust, but others will fill the gap. As for community, yeah right. Most people don’t know their neighbours these days, don’t support local businesses and sit on their arses refusing to do anything - eat, shop, talk, read...even date - if it can’t be done digitally. Sadly, that includes watching football these days so I can’t see how any sort of petition is going to change that? That horse bolted a long time ago, even if the impact is about to be felt most forcefully now.

 

[GT49er]

Well if you want to take it that way then by all means but it’s a churlish remark

Agreed. Apologies.

 

[Justice]

Since when did government listen to public opinion?!! Actually, I’m not fussed about football returning with crowds. Seems utterly inappropriate with cv19 cases up 25%. PL clubs can easily survive without, and they’re not going to share anything with the rest of the so called ‘football family’ who do need match day income. It’s been a day long coming, decades of telling clubs at every level to get their finances in order have fallen on deaf ears. Football is about the only industry I have zero sympathy for in the current climate. Clubs will go bust, but others will fill the gap. As for community, yeah right. Most people don’t know their neighbours these days, don’t support local businesses and sit on their arses refusing to do anything - eat, shop, talk, read...even date - if it can’t be done digitally. Sadly, that includes watching football these days so I can’t see how any sort of petition is going to change that? That horse bolted a long time ago, even if the impact is about to be felt most forcefully now.

Think your wrong about community spirit, since covid I’ve never had so many local customers and they all say the same they want to support local businesses.

 

[BN41Albion]

Since when did government listen to public opinion?!! Actually, I’m not fussed about football returning with crowds. Seems utterly inappropriate with cv19 cases up 25%. PL clubs can easily survive without, and they’re not going to share anything with the rest of the so called ‘football family’ who do need match day income. It’s been a day long coming, decades of telling clubs at every level to get their finances in order have fallen on deaf ears. Football is about the only industry I have zero sympathy for in the current climate. Clubs will go bust, but others will fill the gap. As for community, yeah right. Most people don’t know their neighbours these days, don’t support local businesses and sit on their arses refusing to do anything - eat, shop, talk, read...even date - if it can’t be done digitally. Sadly, that includes watching football these days so I can’t see how any sort of petition is going to change that? That horse bolted a long time ago, even if the impact is about to be felt most forcefully now.

most people - in fact all people - I know aren't like this at all

 

[rippleman]

I agree, although I'd look to find a way to reduce usage of concourses to minimise the amount of time people are spending in poorly-ventilated enclosed areas.

Maybe this could be access only to buy products which you take to your seat immediately, however this could preclude alcohol sales - although you'd hope some common sense could be found with respect to that.

Agreed. The alcohol issue could be resolved if we drop this nonsense about not being allowed to drink in your seat. The fans that are allowed in will be scattered around as before and in the extremely unlikely event of anybody being stupid they can easily be policed and a 5 year Barberban imposed.

If drinks are allowed to be taken to seats to be consumed it should significantly mitigate the congregation on the concourse.

 

[Weststander]

If....but by no means certain

The first 15 minutes of BBC’s Newsnight yesterday was telling. Their guest was a virologist who sits on SAGE, but he was there to give his personal take. He was clear that hospitals are beginning to fill, that we’ll soon be at the stage again where the NHS becomes the CV19 NHS with other disciplines halted. The only successful local lockdown in reducing infection rates, after a spike, was Leicester, he said because it was the only true lockdown. Those in Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle have been half hearted and so ineffective. Regrettably, serious restrictions are required again across the UK.

It wasn’t a petty party political angle. Scotland’s in the same position, Sturgeon about to announce yet further restrictions.

All pointing to 5 or 6 months of no gatherings I think. For the sake of saving lives and not seeing hospitals overwhelmed again, not going to The Amex for most of this season doesn’t seem too bad a price to pay imho.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The first 15 minutes of BBC’s Newsnight yesterday was telling. Their guest was a virologist who sits on SAGE, but he was there to give his personal take. He was clear that hospitals are beginning to fill, that we’ll soon be at the stage again where the NHS becomes the CV19 NHS with other disciplines halted. The only successful local lockdown in reducing infection rates, after a spike, was Leicester, he said because it was the only the only true lockdown. Those in Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle have been half hearted and so ineffective. Regrettably, serious restrictions are required again across the UK.

It wasn’t a petty party political angle. Scotland’s in the same position, Sturgeon about to announce yet further restrictions.

All pointing to 5 or 6 months of no gatherings I think. For the sake of saving lives and not seeing hospitals overwhelmed again, not going to The Amex for most of this season doesn’t seem too bad a price to pay imho.

Indeed. See post #2 on this thread. Those are hospitalizations, not 'cases'. The direction of travel is clear.