“There’s light at the end of the tunnel”
A phrase we’re hearing a lot at the moment, and at last it’s optimism based on genuine evidence.
Vaccine developments in the last few weeks have happened at a rate many of us daren’t dream of. I’m reading analysis which suggests work has been done in ten months which ordinarily might take ten years. Imagine knowing for the rest of your days that your contribution to humanity could have helped put Covid back in its box.
It’s tempting to go down the path of perspective at this point. What relevance does a team’s cup run have in the face of history defining discovery? Yet normality, new or otherwise, is the end goal for the great scientific brains of our time.
For millions the question of who their team plays, if their team plays, in the third round of the FA Cup, has been an annual familiarity for generations whatever else the world is throwing at them. In 2021, for a fortunate few the unexpected bonus is, they might be able to see it live.
If and how crowds can attend sports events has been keenly argued for months. Priorities have appeared confusing. From the beginning of this season watching football matches in pubs was permitted, but to do so outdoors in a stadium was not.
Monday’s announcement that crowds can return at the end of the current English lockdown surprised many, but that a policy rabbit appeared out of a government hat is in itself by no means a shock. EFL Chair Rick Parry telling the BBC the news will have taken the clubs “a little bit by surprise” as they “weren’t really expecting anything before Christmas”.
“Some clubs will still have safety officers on furlough,” he said. “There is a lot of work to do quite quickly and it’s really important that we get this right.”
While the timing may not have been expected, it was inevitable this work would have been needed at some point and I’d imagine much pre-planning has already taken place. Test events were held at a few EFL grounds in September, and as we’ve seen earlier in this blog non-elite clubs were welcoming spectators until October. As football supporters, if we decide the time is right for us to take up the opportunity to attend matches, we need to trust and respect the efforts of those whose job it is to ensure this works.
For football fans Thursday’s confirmation of what area was placed in which tier felt a little like a cup draw, or the revelation of seeding for the World Cup. As London has been placed in tier 2, news of how and when I can visit the new Brentford Community Stadium is reminiscent of waiting to find out which tickets I’d secured for the London Olympics.
As clubs work out how to accommodate season ticket holders and members 2000 at a time, a home draw in Monday’s third round FA Cup draw takes on far greater value.
Glory Hunting 