Fans Still Need To Be Patient Despite This Weekends Pilot Events

Date: 10th September 2020

We can be in no doubt that we still live in tough, strange times. 

While it’s great that Scottish football will see two games reintroducing fans into their stands this weekend, Ross County and Aberdeen have been given the go-ahead to allow 300 supporters to attend their matches, we can’t expect more fans or games with fans in attendance just yet! 

Greater Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire have had extra restrictions placed upon them recently and that meant Rangers and St Mirren couldn’t partake in the pilot to return fans back to stadia. 

Today the Scottish Government announced that only six people from two different households could now meet. They also stated that while these pilot games with fans will carry on this weekend, we won’t see anymore test games and a provisional date for a return to fans has been pushed back from this month to October as Covid-19 cases continue to rise. 

It is a terrible shame that we need to wait a bit longer for supporters to truly get back into grounds in a meaningful way but alas we need to accept that’s what is best for our society. While deaths due to Covid have fallen and that’s great news, the rise of cases is always going to worry those in charge as it leads to more chance of putting our NHS under great strain. 

To hammer home how unpredictable these times are both St Mirren and Hamilton Accies are missing players this week because one tested positive for the virus and one has been in contact with that person who tested positive and now both have to self isolate. 

Here’s hoping those that do attend games this weekend; enjoy the experience, stick to all the guidelines and no one catches or passes on the virus! 

In another setback for Scottish football, it is depressing that all twenty-eight English Premier League games will be available on TV throughout September, yet we have no Scottish game at all this weekend! 

This shows us once again that our TV deal is completely secondary to the English game. I am not calling for all our Premiership games to be shown live, as clubs are providing streams for their season ticket holders but I do think we should have two games a week on the television as that will allow a broader audience the chance to see a football during a period when watching a game live at any level is prohibited. 

SKY Sports shunning Scottish football for a full weekend simply isn’t good enough and I say this as a subscriber. 

To @BackOnside everyday is Suicide Prevention Day, however let’s use today to make more people aware that SUICIDE is real & happening daily. Suicide is not the answer. Pls RT you may reach someone who needs to see this & you might just save a life 💛#StandingWithYou #BackOnside pic.twitter.com/KH4uqdCcVz

— Back Onside (@BackOnside) September 10, 2020

As it is such a tough period in everyone’s life at the moment, it is important that we acknowledge that today is Suicide Prevention Day. 

One huge plus in football club’s creating charities and trusts has seen a greater acceptance that football fans are suffering from depression, loneliness and addiction. This has allowed them to curate projects to help fight against this and give people a chance to talk or take part in actives to help them through such terrible times. 

If you are struggling with any mental health issues or any challenging life circumstances then I urge you to seek help. It is OK not to be OK and charities like SAMH and Back Onside are there to help. 

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