National League Delayed?

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

Due to rising Corona cases, is the current news circulating. The argument is that NL clubs can't survive without crowds.

This really is beginning to frustrate me now. What have the authorities been doing since March?! A rise in cases is expected, we have to learn that we must continue with life and live with this virus. If you look at the sheer density of fixtures, a delay of even 2 weeks will cause havoc. A delay of more than a month, you can forget about finishing the season in its present format. 

I know that BT Sport have some arrangement with rights to broadcasting etc..., but surely some deal could be made where clubs can stream live to their fans for a price, with a small percentage going to BT if needed?  This revenue from streaming won't replace matchday revenue, but it will allow the season to progress even when the cases of the virus are high.

[Piethagoram]

The issue is that the government look at the wealth of the Premier League and will say football needs to look after its own.... The problem is that there is no real perceived fair redistribution of income from the PL and maybe the top clubs would love to see clubs go the wall further down the leagues, to form a franchise system by stealth. 

I have no real confidence in the executive of the NL to get to grips to what is needed

 

[Chris]

At the end of the day, life is more important than football or, any sporting team.

However, I am frustrated by the way things are being handled. The biggest issue is the myths and, unknown facts. We still have a very limited knowledge as to the in-depth issue that is COVID-19. Yes, it would appear that we must live with it - as I don't see it being beaten any time soon.

Truth be said, earth is fall of morons and, idiots who flaunt advice.

These people are the reason why cases are still increasing, along with the government.

The streaming option could help, however, many fans complained about the potential of paying for streams last season. If the virus continues to be a problem, then a delay is only wise. How many deaths does this need to claim before it's taken serious? It's not just the unwell who are dying, those banging on about that are incredibly wrong. I firmly believe I had COVID-19 back in December when I fell ill for almost the whole month - I genuinely felt like it was a serious problem. I have a few issues, but otherwise by body is fine and, normally I don't become ill that easy. There was days @cheeky~k8, would wake me up asking if I was okay because my breathing sounded weird.

Life is far more important than football, at the same time more understanding of the issues is the biggest thing we can do.

Without knowledge we won't solve anything.

[Piethagoram]

and Germany allowing spectator sport now.... 6 months of Test and Trace failure is not helping the return of football

[Dripsey3]

Chris is right. We could live with COVID 19 if we took a sensible approach, I live in Ireland but we have the same issues as the UK. Masks, social distancing, hygiene etc and open up everything. Of course that won't happen as we have a sizable amount of absolute morons who think they know better than the experts and won't adhere to public health measures. These people will be overwhelming the health services over the next few months. There are too many people on the planet, may as well get rid of those who are too stupid or ignorant to protect themselves. 

[BromPie]

People are quick to pull their kids from schools, but how many of these will attend a football match which will have a considerable amount of jeopardy attached to it? Not forgetting the amount of people who will not follow advice or safety measures.

We all want to return to watching football and supporting our club.

It must be done in the safest way possible, I do not believe we as a nation are ready for that yet.

Tests must continue on sporting events, then assessments can be made and hopefully things will improve from there.

[Piethagoram]

To me, the risk in football is not within the stadiums, as I think in general Notts are sensible fans and will observe social distancing.. the main risk is queuing to enter the ground and the more risky, all leaving at once at the final whistle ( needs to be staggered)...risk is the bunching to get on the bus tram train etc...though how different is this compared to wandering around a supermarket??? Just some thoughts

[liampie]

i want to go back more than anything but first people need to abide by the guidelines.

the uk has been very slow to this and the government has been confusing. the unclear measures could have been handled quicker. i do agree that testing events must be continued as its the only way to improve the situation and get people back into their seats. if bt are not streaming games, perhaps the club could offer it for free but encourage fans to donate? free is better as it would reach more people.

[menzinho]

Surely the National League have contingency plans, they can’t have just assumed everything will be fine come the 3rd Oct. They must have known fans coming back was never 100%, especially as the closer to winter we get the likelihood was that the infections would increase – they must have known that.

Fans coming back in now is probably off until spring now, what are they going to do? Delay the season until then… (Probably would be able to complete the season as there would only be about 3 teams left). Delaying in the hope of getting fans back doesn’t really solve anything my eyes.

That said the whole government handling of the situation has been mad. It’s safe to have multiple groups of 6 indoors in a pub, with no masks watching a game of football on the TV. But reduced fans wearing masks, socially distanced outside is a complete no-go? Barmy.

Remember it took the NL about 3 months to sort out the Play-offs… Set to be an announcement by them on Thursday.

[TheSkipper]

The games might start off just behind closed doors, if the spike continues to grow.

I would be wary about attending football games, Meadow Lane is hardly the cleanest ground and if any fans use the toilet facilities that would be enough to discourage you. If fans can't wash their hands, why would people expect them to abide by guidelines to help prevent this growing issue?

I want football back, I just can't see it being an easy solution.

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

4 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

To me, the risk in football is not within the stadiums, as I think in general Notts are sensible fans and will observe social distancing.. the main risk is queuing to enter the ground and the more risky, all leaving at once at the final whistle ( needs to be staggered)...risk is the bunching to get on the bus tram train etc...though how different is this compared to wandering around a supermarket??? Just some thoughts

I get this argument, but I think it is much less plausible that a couple of thousand Notts fans, coming from various parts of Nottingham and beyond, with the majority probably driving, on their way to sit outside at a massive stadium.... could be worse than a few buses jammed full with snotty nose kids, all from similar areas, on their way to sit inside a small room with at least 20 others? 

[DangerousSausage]

I haven't seen anything official from the NL, but it wouldn't be the first time we've first heard major news in the form of rumours. Whenever something doesn't go to plan, you can count on the powers that be in the NL to act like rabbits in the headlights.

Delaying the start of the season would be a pure panic reaction though. What good would it do? Contracts have to be honoured regardless, and the virus is hardly going to go away in the next month or so. A more constructive way to proceed would be to find out how the looming financial black hole can be filled, such as through a combination of government support and streaming.

As for fans returning to stadiums, a couple of weeks ago I saw a German Cup match with 300 fans in the stadum. Even with only a few hundred fans in a stadium that holds 26,000, it made a real, qualitative difference to the feel of watching the match. The fans were well spaced out, with assigned places, and in case of doubt a couple of different entrances can be used. I'm not a virologist, but the risk must surely have been minimal. But I don't think it's really about the risk of infection to fans, but how it looks having thousands of fans in grounds at a time when infections are rising rapidly.