Fans returning to grounds

[Ben D]

It looks unlikely now that the government plans to let any clubs have fans in until at least March. This doesn’t seem in any way logical as it seems much safer for fans to be distanced and basically outside watching sport rather than being indoors in bars, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons or even going on a flight for however many hours without any distancing!

This will quite clearly have a huge effect on many clubs at all levels as it will mean Super League having no fans for the rest of this season and clubs at all levels either starting the season behind closed doors or delaying the start of the season. 
 

I have set up a petition on the UK Parliament Petitions website (link below) to try to get sports clubs to be allowed to open with reduced capacities. It seems unfair that sports clubs are being treated differently to other businesses and it is getting to the point where it could lead to many clubs in many sports going out of business with no prospect of any match day revenue for at least another six months.

Please sign and share the petition as widely as you can and hopefully there may be a rethink!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328403

[JohnM]

15 hours ago, Ben D said:

It looks unlikely now that the government plans to let any clubs have fans in until at least March. This doesn’t seem in any way logical as it seems much safer for fans to be distanced and basically outside watching sport rather than being indoors in bars, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons or even going on a flight for however many hours without any distancing!

This will quite clearly have a huge effect on many clubs at all levels as it will mean Super League having no fans for the rest of this season and clubs at all levels either starting the season behind closed doors or delaying the start of the season. 
 

I have set up a petition on the UK Parliament Petitions website (link below) to try to get sports clubs to be allowed to open with reduced capacities. It seems unfair that sports clubs are being treated differently to other businesses and it is getting to the point where it could lead to many clubs in many sports going out of business with no prospect of any match day revenue for at least another six months.

Please sign and share the petition as widely as you can and hopefully there may be a rethink!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328403

No thank you. 

[Man of Kent]

Signed.

[gingerjon]

16 hours ago, Ben D said:

It looks unlikely now that the government plans to let any clubs have fans in until at least March. This doesn’t seem in any way logical as it seems much safer for fans to be distanced and basically outside watching sport rather than being indoors in bars, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons or even going on a flight for however many hours without any distancing!

This will quite clearly have a huge effect on many clubs at all levels as it will mean Super League having no fans for the rest of this season and clubs at all levels either starting the season behind closed doors or delaying the start of the season. 
 

I have set up a petition on the UK Parliament Petitions website (link below) to try to get sports clubs to be allowed to open with reduced capacities. It seems unfair that sports clubs are being treated differently to other businesses and it is getting to the point where it could lead to many clubs in many sports going out of business with no prospect of any match day revenue for at least another six months.

Please sign and share the petition as widely as you can and hopefully there may be a rethink!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328403

The RFL could sort this with a single stoke by reassigning the Championship and League 1 to grassroots rather than elite (or whatever phrasing they are using).

You won't get the government to change their minds on elite sport but there are already crowds at grassroots level which would certainly be high enough to enable League 1 at least to start (socially distanced with clubs being punished for not maintaining that, recent example being a Western League club having its allocation reduced from 300 to 150 for its next game).

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

16 hours ago, Ben D said:

It looks unlikely now that the government plans to let any clubs have fans in until at least March. This doesn’t seem in any way logical as it seems much safer for fans to be distanced and basically outside watching sport rather than being indoors in bars, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons or even going on a flight for however many hours without any distancing!

This will quite clearly have a huge effect on many clubs at all levels as it will mean Super League having no fans for the rest of this season and clubs at all levels either starting the season behind closed doors or delaying the start of the season. 
 

I have set up a petition on the UK Parliament Petitions website (link below) to try to get sports clubs to be allowed to open with reduced capacities. It seems unfair that sports clubs are being treated differently to other businesses and it is getting to the point where it could lead to many clubs in many sports going out of business with no prospect of any match day revenue for at least another six months.

Please sign and share the petition as widely as you can and hopefully there may be a rethink!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328403

Done

[HarrogateKnights]

I know not directly related however the announcement of Helsinki Airport trialling sniffer dogs for Covid-19 could be used for sports crowds if the trial is a success. The speed of the results is impressive however the cost imagine will be too. Either way I have signed the petition 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54288067

 

[JohnM]

17 hours ago, Ben D said:

It looks unlikely now that the government plans to let any clubs have fans in until at least March. This doesn’t seem in any way logical as it seems much safer for fans to be distanced and basically outside watching sport rather than being indoors in bars, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons or even going on a flight for however many hours without any distancing!

This will quite clearly have a huge effect on many clubs at all levels as it will mean Super League having no fans for the rest of this season and clubs at all levels either starting the season behind closed doors or delaying the start of the season. 
 

I have set up a petition on the UK Parliament Petitions website (link below) to try to get sports clubs to be allowed to open with reduced capacities. It seems unfair that sports clubs are being treated differently to other businesses and it is getting to the point where it could lead to many clubs in many sports going out of business with no prospect of any match day revenue for at least another six months.

Please sign and share the petition as widely as you can and hopefully there may be a rethink!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328403

Looks like you joined the forum purely to get RL fans to sign a general sports petition. This means, in my view that the topic belongs to AOB/Any other sports. 

Sports are not being discriminated against, in any case. 

 

[Toby Chopra]

43 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The RFL could sort this with a single stoke by reassigning the Championship and League 1 to grassroots rather than elite (or whatever phrasing they are using).

You won't get the government to change their minds on elite sport but there are already crowds at grassroots level which would certainly be high enough to enable League 1 at least to start (socially distanced with clubs being punished for not maintaining that, recent example being a Western League club having its allocation reduced from 300 to 150 for its next game).

Do the grassroots clubs you refer to charge entry and pay players a match fee?

(Not saying they don't, just genuinely interested what the criteria for grassroots is) 

[Pie tries]

Not for me. This is the right decision at this moment - for the safety all sports fans

[gingerjon]

27 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

Do the grassroots clubs you refer to charge entry and pay players a match fee?

(Not saying they don't, just genuinely interested what the criteria for grassroots is) 

They do. Some of them quite a bit. An adult ticket for Hastings United is £12 for example.

Allowed gate for the above is 400 (I think) in a 4,000 capacity ground for a club whose average crowd was 600 last season.

[JohnM]

No need to look confused, Tommy. Time and time again, fans, players and clubs have shown they cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Too much at stake. 

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

Looks like you joined the forum purely to get RL fans to sign a general sports petition. This means, in my view that the topic belongs to AOB/Any other sports. 

Sports are not being discriminated against, in any case. 

 

I wonder how many sports he got through before he stumbled on RL..... After chess but before fly fishing I would think.

[Tommygilf]

23 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Too much at stake. 

So that requires it to be on the AOB?

[JohnM]

Any othe sports. HTH. 

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, JohnM said:

Any othe sports. HTH. 

It includes RL and its impact on RL is the focus of discussion here (for all bar you it seems), that should be good enough for this forum surely?

[Tommygilf]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

The RFL could sort this with a single stoke by reassigning the Championship and League 1 to grassroots rather than elite (or whatever phrasing they are using).

You won't get the government to change their minds on elite sport but there are already crowds at grassroots level which would certainly be high enough to enable League 1 at least to start (socially distanced with clubs being punished for not maintaining that, recent example being a Western League club having its allocation reduced from 300 to 150 for its next game).

I do wonder what the criteria they're using for this stuff is and why the RFL haven't taken the steps you suggest. Perhaps there's a legal or administrative reason not just incompetencey?

[gingerjon]

29 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I do wonder what the criteria they're using for this stuff is and why the RFL haven't taken the steps you suggest. Perhaps there's a legal or administrative reason not just incompetencey?

I'm honestly not sure. It is complex and I wouldn't really wish navigating it all on anyone. But it does seem odd that football at non league level (below what was the Conference) has crowds but rugby league which would have a very similar set up doesn't.

EDIT

And events are somewhat overtaking my sweeping statement. Here's a match in the northwest being postponed because local authority health directions take precedence over FA/DCMS general rules (as they should) https://nwcfl.com/news-articles.php?id=8307

[Tommygilf]

34 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I'm honestly not sure. It is complex and I wouldn't really wish navigating it all on anyone. But it does seem odd that football at non league level (below what was the Conference) has crowds but rugby league which would have a very similar set up doesn't.

EDIT

And events are somewhat overtaking my sweeping statement. Here's a match in the northwest being postponed because local authority health directions take precedence over FA/DCMS general rules (as they should) https://nwcfl.com/news-articles.php?id=8307

Indeed of course the local and national rules should take precedence in all these situations. But the national body should be allowing things to move forward where possible. Like you say it must be a case of administrative regulation because many in League 1 operate on the higher end of those non League levels

[JohnM]

58 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

It includes RL and its impact on RL is the focus of discussion here (for all bar you it seems), that should be good enough for this forum surely?

Have you read the words on the actual petition? 

Can you quote where it mentions rugby league? 

For all except me? How do you know the hundreds who have not posted agree with you?

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Have you read the words on the actual petition? 

Can you quote where it mentions rugby league? 

For all except me? How do you know the hundreds who have not posted agree with you?

Yep, it says rugby, which where I'm from is played with 13 players. 

I didn't say they agreed with me at all, I said that you were the only one bothered about it.

[Toby Chopra]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

They do. Some of them quite a bit. An adult ticket for Hastings United is £12 for example.

Allowed gate for the above is 400 (I think) in a 4,000 capacity ground for a club whose average crowd was 600 last season.

Thanks. Looks like additional local lockdowns will prevent almost all games at the moment, but if lifted by March a 10% capacity allowance might just about allow L1 to function, if it can get declared grassroots. Something to ponder. 

[silverback]

Owlertons classed as an elite sports stadium.WOW. Bars are to be closed for tonights kings lynn race meet and done for 10pm. Tickets sold out thou so will be packed.    

https://forum.stoxnet.com/topic/33572-kings-lynn-saturday-26th-september-530pm/

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

5 hours ago, gingerjon said:

The RFL could sort this with a single stoke by reassigning the Championship and League 1 to grassroots rather than elite (or whatever phrasing they are using).

You won't get the government to change their minds on elite sport but there are already crowds at grassroots level which would certainly be high enough to enable League 1 at least to start (socially distanced with clubs being punished for not maintaining that, recent example being a Western League club having its allocation reduced from 300 to 150 for its next game).

I doubt it would be that easy and a potential minefield to go back the other way when the only 'full' members of the pro arm of The RFL would be the SL clubs. 

[gingerjon]

7 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

I doubt it would be that easy and a potential minefield to go back the other way when the only 'full' members of the pro arm of The RFL would be the SL clubs. 

Please do not let reality get in the way of my sweeping statements.