Picture the scene. An hour and a half writing about media law, a quick shower and some time killing off the day on your phone. You scroll down through Instagram until you reach the suggested posts you never asked to see but, for once, one catches your eye. “Crowds of up to 4000 will be allowed into sports stadiums next week” a post from the92bible says, all of a sudden your mood changes. All of life’s problems seem to disappear, you feel happier than you’ve felt in months. Fans are back. Football is back.
We’ve seen rumours of the planned return of supporters ever since EFL football returned with the play offs in April, but as of yet no one has been able to return to the grounds of professional clubs. Jubilation commenced one Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that, in tiers one and two, fans will be able attend within capacity limits, rumored to be 4000 or half of their official capacity (around three and a half thousand at Whaddon Road) for tier one areas.
The hopeful return for myself and my fellow Cheltenham fans will be the visit of Exeter City on the 5th of December, a fixture that’s sure to be a tight affair and provide an exciting welcome back.
It’s a sport that dominates my life. I coach it, play it, ref if, watch it and now even write about it. It’s something I’d be empty without, no matter what there is nothing that can fill the void left by the empty stands and lack of giant man sized robins. Since we lost the Jonny Rocks I’ve filled my time by watching the women’s team, coaching the ladies U17 squad and playing FIFA…..so much FIFA (you’d think I’d be good at it by now). But it’s just not the same, match day was the chance to see friends, shout at short corners, have bang average burger in a stale bun and leave all life’s worries behind.
Football has often been lauded for its benefits to the mental health of supporters, and the absence of the weekly pilgrimage has come with a negative effect on many. Mental health, men’s especially, has been pushed and supported recently with campaigns such as Heads Up have been used to encourage men to speak up and feel able to support and be supported by friends and family through difficult times. The EFL also featured the Mind Squiggle on the back of shirts to aid in their endeavour.
The anxiety and uncertainty of whether or not your club will survive the ongoing pandemic has heaped pressure upon the already fragile supporters, with the likes of Macclesfield Town not making it through, and the fear of not having a club to come back to. Luckily for us the fans have come together and done everything we can to ensure Cheltenham’s survival, with many of us donating the cost of our season tickets to the club and spending money in the club shop.
According to Mind, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem. That means thousands of football fans across the country and hundreds of players on the pitch. I myself can admit I’ve struggled at times and football has been and always will be an escape from everyday life, which is why for so many of us the absence of attending in person has had such an adverse effect.
Needless to say I believe that our return to the stands can only be a good thing for our mental state and overall wellbeing. The emotion that comes with a last minute winner, as we experienced so often last season, and no matter what the result the chance to see friends you wouldn’t otherwise see and the togetherness of watching your club with thousands of others.
Of course, there won’t be any hugging of strangers or limbs behind the goal, we’ll all have to stay two meters apart and do our best to stay there, but just being there is sure to do wonders for all of us. Just the feeling of seeing the chance that we’ll return has been fantastic, hopes and dreams returning in the mundane monotonous lock down life.
So bring on Exeter, bring on the cold and the rain, the long throws and time wasting. Bring on the football and get me back to Whaddon Road.
Comments