Whatever restrictions may be needed to get football underway at the top of the professional game, playing behind closed doors is simply not an option for non-league football. Given that no more than six people are currently allowed to meet outdoors at any one time, these conversations might appear somewhat premature, but there are clear clues as to what the “new normal” might look like for football fans.
Social distancing is something we are all coming to terms with, as are face masks, gloves and contactless payments. Football has its own frame of reference, with FIFA and the FA both providing guidance on what the Government’s Coronavirus regulations mean to the football family. So with this in mind, Ian Nockolds, Research Director at Bath based research agency Cognisant, developed a survey to assess what measures fans, players, managers and officials would consider putting up with, if it meant grassroots football could start playing again.
The headline figures show that 44% of respondents to the survey would not agree to football coming back if it meant changing rooms had to be closed. For players in particular, the prospect of playing without changing facilities was something that half (50%) of those completing the survey were not prepared to do, whilst the number of managers not prepared to return without changing rooms was 61%. The inevitable consequence of playing without changing rooms would mean that players would need to travel to games in kit, something that 26% of respondents didn’t consider viable, rising to 35% amongst players.
As pubs continue to be closed, so do Clubhouses. The prospect of playing without Clubhouses open was something that 39% of survey respondents were not prepared to consider, a figure that increased to 52% when Club Officials were asked the same question. Given the importance of Clubhouses to the grassroots football economy, it’s hardly surprising that tea huts were also identified as a facility fans can’t live without. Overall, the closure of tea huts was identified by 38% of respondents as something they would not agree to. Nearly half (48%) of Club Officials wouldn’t play without tea huts, whilst a third (33%) of supporters expressed the same opinion.
Fourth on the list of measures the football family wouldn’t agree to was spectators wearing gloves at games, at 29%, whilst a third of fans (33%) felt this was an intervention too far. Spectators wearing mouth and nose protection was also an issue for the fans, with 26% indicating they wouldn’t agree to this. Yet fans were far more amenable to the prospect of submitting to temperature checks before entry, currently a requirement at airports, with only 16% of spectators indicating they wouldn't agree if this measure was brought in. However, Club Officials were less amenable to temperature checks, with 34% indicating they wouldn’t agree to this restriction.
Necessity is the mother of invention and with the restrictions that Covid-19 has placed upon us, what about the opportunities to evolve the way we administer our National game? Will Coronavirus sound the death knell for the paper programme and will cash payments at matches also become a thing of the past? Only 9% of survey respondents indicated that introducing cash only payment for food and beverage purchases would mean they would not return to football. Slightly more respondents were so attached to their paper programme that it became a deal breaker, with 17% suggesting they couldn’t continue to attend games with only an electronic programme. However, the prospect of cashless payments to match officials was something that nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents felt would be preferable going forward, putting it second only to the use of hand sanitizer as a desirable innovation from restarting in the wake of the virus.
Perhaps the most critical factor in understanding these results is the degree of dissent football can tolerate in order to restart. When we look at those saying they will not agree to come back, could the game go ahead with 10% fewer fans or even Clubs? What is the magic number beyond which the game isn’t viable? Club and League Officials carry the weight of responsibility without the Government giving them green light, as shown by their more pessimistic responses to this survey.
If one thing is clear from these results its that the different branches of the football family tree have very different opinions as to what they would consider an intervention too far, when it comes to seeing our National game return. If this exercise has proven anything its that its not a simple as fans thinking the FA, or the Leagues, have got their decision “wrong” as to whether we start again or not. They need to recognise the differences that exist between their opinion, the players, officials and the Clubs.
As with any research exercise there are some important questions to answer in terms of who answered the survey and when. This survey was open for responses between June 11th and June 17th and was completed by 759 respondents. Of those responding 96% were male and 61% were from the Western, Wessex and South West Peninsular Leagues. In terms of age, 59% were aged 44 or under, with 30% aged 25-34. So what does this mean? Respondents to this survey were self selecting not random, they were overwhelming male, from the South and South West and probably younger than most non-league fans would have considered representative of the Step 5 and 6 football family. However, at 759 completed interviews this survey represents the largest single data collection exercise across the football family that has been conducted into attitudes concerning restarting football. Whatever its limitations, this survey overwhelming has many positives that enable it to add to, rather than detract from the debate surrounding grassroots game.
With that in mind, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to complete this survey including Phil Hiscox from the South West Peninsular League and Patrick McManus, the manager of Brockenhurst FC, who both made a considerable effort to encourage others to participate in this project. A special note of thanks also goes to Warminster Town’s Roland Millward, whose tireless efforts to promote this survey across the pyramid have made this exercise far more successful than I would ever have considered it could have been.
Stay Safe, Protect the NHS and Love Grassroots Football.
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