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 we are likely to see Super League have no fans for the rest of the season and all leagues looking likely to have to start late or behind closed doors.

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!

[urlhttps://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/328403[/url

Dear UK Government,
Against all worldwide evidence about a second wave of Covid, the risk to the elderly and vulnerable (including my parents and many friends) I would like, quite selfishly, for the government to let me and a few mates get pi55ed up and go to watch the rugby, it makes sense, innit.

Yours truly

numpty from behind a keyboard with failing intelligence



I think that covers mine and mosts feelings about your stupid petition

Are you aware of the mass gatherings after the 10pm closure around the country? And pubs could close due to loss revenue. So yes, that isn't working. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG7AE2_LJXk[uHere is just one example[/u[/url

Regarding fans not being allowed back in stadiums, some clubs WILL go bust, and we haven't even tried to phase fans back in, not even under strict protocols. There doesn't have to be food and drink available,and seating could be organised. Clubs need much needed income,therefore this petition is justified and didn't deserve the ridicule reply you gave.

Clubs go bust or people die? Tough one.

Give over,It would be safer than going to the supermarket or going on public transport.

I usually like your posts Cokey but, I think that you may be wrong on this one.
50/100 people in the local Asda (other supermarkets are available) or a few thousand fans chanting/singing/slagging off the ref in an confined space all leaving at the same time, many popped up as well. There really is no comparison.

All sports fans are desperate to see proper live sport, myself included and I do think that there is a very strong chance that clubs will begin to go bust, just as many "regular" businesses have but, just like those other businesses, we just have to hope that the clubs that may fall into difficulties, may come again.
Difficult choices around the corner for everyone here but, the current rise in cases and slow increase in hospitalisations and deaths serve as a warning to us all.

I see you left out public transport there, and (uncontrolled)mass gatherings at 10pm. Also supermarkets aren't supervised either,you either sanitise your hands or you don't.I saw it myself this morning, folk avoiding sanitising their hands.

I never said how many fans should be let in a stadium either. What i did say in an earlier post was, organised seating with strict protocols in place to adhere to. Stewards will be present to supervise this.This includes entering and leaving the stadium by way of being 2m apart. I believe it can be done in my opinion.

So people won't sanitise their hands in Asda but will all stand 2m apart leaving the ground? Ok then.

And the average supermarket customer isn't popped up either.


AS mentioned, I would love to be able to watch my team, even if it were only home games but, right now, it looks like it will be next season before there are any meaningful crowds at games over here.
Having said that, it would be interesting to know what "fall out" there has been following Catalan having 5000 ? fans at their game the other week.

Why are you choosing to select a "carefully policed" fans return, as a high risk killer? Do you actually see social distancing in a supermarket? Or everyone sanitising their hands? because i don't. If you're that serious, how about going back to when there was enormous queues outside the supermarkets; Just imagine all the little old ladies & chaps queuing for their weekly shop in minus feck knows what degrees this winter. C'mon, get real Eggy.

Both as bad as one another you're right. One is a necessity, one isn't.

Do you not realise that we need some normality? If your club announced that if we don't get fans in we will go bust, I think you would have a different outlook. But as the saying goes......Well I'm alright Jack.

Again.......if the options are clubs going bust or people dying then I know which I am taking.

Did you know that not one fan has died attending a game anywhere?
That's because we haven't even gone there. You are only speculating what might/could happen. I've told you, stringent protocols and proper policing in place would be safer than going to uncontrolled supermarkets, insufficient policing on public transport and mass gatherings at10pm. The infection rate is high in the Wigan borough right now, how do you explain that? I can only assume that you have underlying health conditions and in your mid 70s.

No I have no health issues and am in my 30s. My in-laws however have medical issues and are in the high risk category.

The risk is high in Wigan but you want fans to attend games in two stadiums (i presume this comes because you want to watch leigh) within the same borough. Good call. I can see why you guys voted tory.

What happens if we hold a game and the virus then spreads like wildfire again? Of course it may not do, but while there is the element of risk it won't happen (unless the government find a way to make money from it like they do from pubs) i'm afraid and rightly so

As for policing it, how will it differ to a supermarket?

What will be put in place that stops me standing chatting to someone within 1.5m? Is a steward going to stop me? How are they going to do that? What stops me from touching all the empty seats around me that other people then touch?

It will be no different to a supermarket except that people need to buy food, they don't need to watch rugby.

I'm obviously wasting my time with you. Yes Leigh voted Tory, yet I want stadiums to open,so what's your point? Wigan continued to vote for a far left woke loving marxists. Labour are finished, cant you see that? We in Leigh can.

My guess is that you're a remainer and you want everything to fail.

No ideas on how you want to police it then?

Both entitled to our opinions. Mine is that while we are on what is the equivalent of a soft lockdown and I can't go and see my family or friends at their house I shouldn't be able to attend a rugby game either.

Underlying health conditions does not mean at death's door. A study in Italy showed that the number of years of life lost by victims of CV was on average 12. Even those over 80 with several conditions lost 3 years that they would otherwise have been expected to live.

If you can't envisage what stewards can do to ensure that safety measures are observed, then you're living in a constant fog. You talk about a soft lockdown, and not seeing your parents, yet the infection rate is increasing through lack of commonsense and stupidity by not observing the rules,because there is no one there to keep folk in line with the restrictions. At least there are stewards at the stadium to ensure all safety measures are observed in and around the stadium. What more do you want? And don't keep asking me what measures should be in place, you're making yourself look stupid.

The main problem is not posed during the match itself but in getting them in, and more importantly, out of the ground, not to mention having '00(0)s descending into one area over a short period of time putting a strain on local amenities and pubs.

Local amenities and pubs should have their measures in place too. There's no excuse. What you're saying is,we are too stupid to follow these important life threatening rules.

They can not get all the people on buses to were masks or not to close together so no chance at rugby league

Why no chance at rugby league? I just don't get it.

How are you getting everyone out of the ground without them all being grouped together? Unfortunately when everyone wants to do the same thing at the same time (i.e leave after the final whistle) impatience would take over, and social distancing would go out of the window. People would not politely queue 2m apart for god knows how long to leave safely. Just look at how people behave driving in heavy traffic if you want an insight into why I don't think they will adhere to the rules. Even in the beer queues at the ground people get as close as possible to the person in front as though it will somehow make the queue move quicker.

I know you have mentioned stewards, but they aren't highly trained, have little power, and the ones I know weren't exactly the brightest and the best to begin with, nor are they in any way intimidating. Realistically impatient people wanting to leave would just tell them to f* off if they tried to tell them to patiently wait 2m apart for a significant length of time and that would be the end of it.