Home fans only ? Yes or no

[darren gregory]

Was chatting with a mate who I socialise with at the game talking usual nonsense.

The 20/21 season cropped up and a suggestion was made for League 2 that some football is better than no football.
Obviously you have civil liberties etc argument.
But if I use my club Vale , we could utilise the away end as well and that leaves a 22'000 ground to accommodate 4000-5000 supporters .
Now I probably go to 12 to 15 aways and it's a big part of my social life. But I think it's not a bad idea.
Obviously some clubs have smaller grounds and wouldn't be able to do it as easily as Vale could. But aside from Bradford I don't think anyone gets above 6000 now that Plymouth have been ' promoted ' .

Seeing as League 2 were left to wrangle over the season ending ourselves, fuck the Championship and let's get home crowds back in until it's definitely safe for away fans to attend and all the extra scenarios they bring

 

[Crewelad87]

Certainly better than no fans at all. But it's got to be able to work for every club. Grounds with terracing ect it would be difficult to see it work.

 

[valefan16]

Issues would be the concourse and toilets etc. The actual sitting down would be fairly doable with Vale Park around 20,000 capacity now (possibly more if the concourse allows the new seats to be used)

Outdoors of course it’s less like to spread but the downside is if it is more potent in the winter the virus then it would be a risk.

You could do it but would have to seriously limit the numbers, plus our ground is massive but some clubs don’t have that luxury so may be seen as an unfair advantage.

 

[darren gregory]

Yes loads of pitfalls was just something that cropped up.
Maybe no refreshments and just literally watch the game though I get that folk will need the toilet.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

The key is the toilets and concourse, that is where the bottle necks are. I note that only about four or five teams bring more than two hundred to Home Park anyway.

 

[northstandexile]

Crowds will not be allowed until pubs open.

 

[Indian Dan]

Get everyone fitted with a catheter and a piss bag

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Get everyone fitted with a catheter and a piss bag

Isn’t that the MO for away fans at Salford anyway because there are not enough toilets?

 

[Indian Dan]

And us, tbf. Once the Bank is open I think there’s about 4 portaloos for about 2200 fans. Dreadful.

 

[The Terminator]

The key is the toilets and concourse, that is where the bottle necks are. I note that only about four or five teams bring more than two hundred to Home Park anyway.

Our CEO said this about a month ago, should fans be allowed in to games - The main challenge for us would be the toilets and catering and social distancing which would need to be implemented with those two things, I guess this would be the same for everyone.

Not sure where I stand on away games, I'd probably go but it would involve a trip on a train or in a car with people you don't live with all in close proximity and you'd basically have to get to wherever you're going and head sraight into the game.

I wouldn't be suprised if all football games are home fans/season ticket holders only with grounds at 25% capacity until the end of the year. If your team is away, you pay say £10 to watch the stream through your own clubs website.

This is if we even get that far.................

 

[valefan16]

Only possible way is no catering... but you can bring your own food and drink.

Toilets must be located outside where you can queue distanced such as portaloos or if a club has toilets outside such as Vale in the Paddock you could queue distanced.

Half time queue would be mental though.

That said by September or whenever the season begins who knows, we might be safe enough to go into grounds in some capacity. Depends on second spike and the rate keep dropping.

Based on current infection rates deaths will be down well below 100 a day (still tragic) In a fortnight but it’s keeping that infection rate down so it doesn’t go back up. (Current deaths represent the situation infection wise 2-4 weeks ago due to the lag in getting ill and then severe)

 

[darren gregory]

If pubs are shut still the queues would be minimal.
I think how things are easing and a lot of people are doing their own thing anyway, we might well be back in grounds quicker than we expect to be.

 

[Chris FGR]

Basically, when they first start letting fans back into stadiums in Germany we'll probably wait for a month or so and then do the same. They reckon in a best case scenario fans might be allowed back in September over there when they're aiming to start 20/21.

All depends on how things go until then though.

 

[Valeite]

Saltergate`s toilets would have come into their own in this crisis.

 

[Valeite]

I would imagine that by September this government will have got bored of trying to contain this virus and will go bock to the herd immunity policy of early March.

 

[valefan16]

Saltergate`s toilets would have come into their own in this crisis.

Locals across the road got an eye full there from their upstairs rooms!

 

[BlackHaddock]

Even only allowing 'home fans' wouldn't be too safe; people who are 'exiled' from their team travel miles to get to 'home games'. How could you manage that? Only people who live within 5 miles of the ground can attend?

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Even only allowing 'home fans' wouldn't be too safe; people who are 'exiled' from their team travel miles to get to 'home games'. How could you manage that? Only people who live within 5 miles of the ground can attend?

Good point. A lot of our fans have to show their passports when they return over the Tamar Bridge.

 

[BlackHaddock]

Good point. A lot of our fans have to show their passports when they return over the Tamar Bridge.

They have always brought their own grub with them, "the Cornish don't like foreign food" is something I remember from living down there for a few years.

 

[Indian Dan]

Watching Covid in the UK from afar seems to me that very few people give a flying fuck about social distancing - and the police do jack about it anyway

 

[Greenacres]

Watching Covid in the UK from afar seems to me that very few people give a flying fuck about social distancing - and the police do jack about it anyway

Sadly I think you are true...I have seen plenty of evidence among my neighbours of a really relaxed attitude to social-distancing, whether that has been visits from family members who don't live in the house, kids running around together during our weekly clap for carers, or the BBQ they had in someone's front garden on Bank Holiday Monday. There seems to be a real attitude of "lockdown doesn't apply to me, and who cares about social distancing" and this seems pretty evident across the whole country and not just where I live.

 

[Indian Dan]

Well, the only reason the country went into lockdown wasn’t to actually save lives - it was about not overwhelming the NHS and the PR disaster that would become.

I’m sure Boris et al would love to revert to the herd community model now and let the dice fall where it may.

 

[valefan16]

To be fair it’s a small percentage who don’t stick to the rules but of course they are the ones in the press. The majority have. We’ve been out to places but stuck to the 2M rules and drilled that into our two kids.

That said the talk now is the virus is mutating like Sars into a weaker strain according to a couple of Italian doctors which backs predictions from early May in studies so hopefully this proves to be the case.

I’m sure across many parts of Europe people have broken locked down rules (in fact articles abound if you google) but as long as the majority do as they are told hopefully the few idiots won’t wreck the work we’ve all done so far.

 

[Indian Dan]

I have friends in the UK who have been house bound for 12 weeks and today are allowed out. They are still scared to leave the house.

God knows when they’ll feel safe to do so - certainly not on some politician’s say so.

 

[valefan16]

I have friends in the UK who have been house bound for 12 weeks and today are allowed out. They are still scared to leave the house.

God knows when they’ll feel safe to do so - certainly not on some politician’s say so.

It’s down to personal choice, the government won’t force them out of course but it they do wish they can go out.

I’m lucky I live in a village so the 2M distance even when walking was never an issue during the tightest spell of lockdown.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Well, the only reason the country went into lockdown wasn’t to actually save lives - it was about not overwhelming the NHS and the PR disaster that would become.

I’m sure Boris et al would love to revert to the herd community model now and let the dice fall where it may.

Bang on, though how they’ve convinced the nation that the NHS wasn’t overwhelmed in April is genius. It absolutely was. The death toll is a national disgrace, brought on by purposely vague guidance, a hypocritical government and dehumanised with graphs and statistics. It will continue to rise beyond other countries because the figure is meaningless to the government, as long as they’re seen to be doing “something” and the rich get richer.

 

[northstandexile]

The 2,000 Covid deaths a week ( note the 7 day rolling average graph flat lining) seems to be an acceptable number of deaths now that govt have relaxed lockdown measures.

I suppose the pensions bill will drop and the government will see this as a good move.

government only interested in money and not in lives.

 

[darren gregory]

My mate must of had a premonition. According to our local rag HOME fans only is being discussed for September start.
Still no idea how Bradford would cope with their crowds.

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/spo...news/port-vale-exploring-plans-league-4230283

 

[darren gregory]

Just hope our first set of fixtures are Crawley, Colchester, Southend, Cambridge ,Grimsby and Newport
Save Bolton, Tranmere, Walsall, Orient, Bradford until all fans allowed

 

[AdamStag]

Until it can be sorted for sure yeah, especially with this clusterfuck of a government running the show, half expecting Nessie the monster to make an appearance!

But what happens if you’re a fan who doesn’t live so close but travels to the games? They're a few of us on here like that