Wondered what people thought on the idea of how socially distanced fans can return at Rodney Parade.

Reports today that it’s being considered at Wembley - how would it work for County?

Limited fans per row
Spread out in small groups for Hazell and North Terrace
All fans in earlier - say 2:45pm
Leaving one block at a time
Season ticket holders only

Rogie Exile wrote:Wondered what people thought on the idea of how socially distanced fans can return at Rodney Parade.

Reports today that it’s being considered at Wembley - how would it work for County?

Limited fans per row
Spread out in small groups for Hazell and North Terrace
All fans in earlier - say 2:45pm
Leaving one block at a time
Season ticket holders only

First of all how many season ticket holders are there. Enough to pay the rent? Enough to pay the stewards? Enough to pay for all the ancillary expenses that come with staging a football match? And remember the income from home games is also needed to finance away travel.

I hate being negative. I know all too well on this board how there are those who just pour ridicule on any initiative and don't want to poor cold water on your thought out ideas. But I just don't see them working.

However I really hope you are right and I am wrong.

Playing home games at The Millenium Stadium might be a help

I think we'll all have to bring an empty bottle as I can't see social distancing working in the gents under the Hazell stand

I raised this on another thread. I think it would be possible to allow up to 25% of a normal home support to watch games at RP with relative distancing and safety. It might take a steward to enforce some kind of 'one out, one in' for the half-time toilet break, and supporters would have to sit 3-4 seats apart to watch.

Ticket prices might be much higher to get the 'live experience' while others watch at home and pay less for this privilege. How else will any club at our level survive and pay wages, rent etc if the only income is from advertising and minimal sponsorship? Without some level of paying customers we'd have to go semi-professional / part-time within 12mths.

I think in any context the idea of a socially distanced crowd is a contradiction in terms.

I’m a season ticket holder and a big advocate of the small perks it brings, but even I would suggest it can’t be just be season ticket holders only ???? ..... might be wrong but isn’t it somewhere in the region of 1200?

I'm pretty sure it was more than that. Possibly 1,600?

Thanks ....
Still can’t Season ticket holders only though surely.

Maybe the FL will ban away fans, which would open up the away ends to greater space for home fans to do the social distance thing. Would also reduce the number of people criss-crossing the UK spreading Covid. Mind you plenty of home fans travel good distances to home games I know.

However, I reckon all this will be unnecessary - give it to October/November and we will be back to normal in terms of attending football matches.

faerun exile wrote:Maybe the FL will ban away fans, which would open up the away ends to greater space for home fans to do the social distance thing. Would also reduce the number of people criss-crossing the UK spreading Covid. Mind you plenty of home fans travel good distances to home games I know.

However, I reckon all this will be unnecessary - give it to October/November and we will be back to normal in terms of attending football matches.

Those coming from outside Wales will still be banned (at the moment) from travelling here and those in Wales will only be allowed to come if they live within 5 miles (at the moment).

faerun exile wrote:Maybe the FL will ban away fans, which would open up the away ends to greater space for home fans to do the social distance thing.

That's a sensible idea but it's at odds with another suggestion being floated involving regionalizing Lge2 and the NL so clubs and fans get MORE local derbies and lower travel costs.

[Those coming from outside Wales will still be banned (at the moment) from travelling here and those in Wales will only be allowed to come if they live within 5 miles (at the moment).[/quote]

Yes, that's going to be interesting watching Cardiff and Swansea trying to get to away games, it won't just be supporters stopped from attending their games but maybe the players also. I can just picture it now - the Cardiff team bus on the M4 heading for England and Heddlu's finest stop the bus at the Severn Bridge, fine all the players for breaching lockdown rules and send them all home.

Joking aside, it is a real possibility unless the Welsh Govt change the rules before the Championship games re-start.

Mr Drakeford says it is "not our aim" to prevent cross-border competitions.

"If it is possible safely for Welsh sports clubs to take part in competitions that are being re-opened then our ambition will be to make sure we can play our part in making that happen," he added.

"It would be under the broad umbrella we have talked about all the time: safety and public health measures first, but if those are in place and our sports teams are able to take part we will not want the rules in Wales to be a reason why they cannot do that."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52682231