Cod Almighty | Diary

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere

13 July 2020

The Valley and Abbey stadiums (Charlton Athletic and Cambridge United) will be used to model fans returning to watch football for the start of next season. If current plans come to fruition, this is looking like mid-September with grounds hopefully between 30 and 50 per cent full. These venues have been chosen because of their mix of old and new stands. Fortunate really because with the best will in the world, it would be a stretch to call even the Findus Stand modern.

Where does that leave clubs like ours? With an average attendance of just over 4,000 in a ground that has a capacity of just over 9,000, things should be looking up for the regulars. However, you only have to think about our stands and it's clear we will need to carefully consider how things are managed on match day. If you have visited modern grounds, it makes you realise how designs have changed even since the 1980s when the Findus was built.

Changes have happened due to disasters but designers also model how crowds move and behave. Now there are usually wider entrances and exits, and facilities like toilets and catering often use a one-way system. Then give some thought to Blundell Park. If you frequent the Upper Findus, you will be accustomed to the crush once you are through the turnstiles. This occurs as you meet the queue for catering in a low-ceilinged, grubby, cramped space and further feeds into a queue for the pretty abysmal toilets. Elsewhere there are fairly narrow gaps between the back of the stands and the fences round the ground, but at least you can get to your seat without going inside.

It's been said for a while that the club should make better use of the "portacabin park", formerly the glorious open corners. A proper fan zone would be great, but if it helps many to get back to watching live games, I’'d happily forfeit it for the foreseeable future. Perhaps they could close off some of the carpark outside the ground as a catering area. There would be some who park there who would moan but it’s a small price to pay to get football back on.

The club have a tough job on to manage this and I'm hoping that they are already looking at sensible options, even though the guidance won’'t be out for a while.

We will all have to play our part too so start thinking about what you are prepared to do. Some of us may have to move from our usual seats for the coming season. If that means we're properly distanced let's not moan. Maybe the club could agree that once the distancing rules are gone completely, which admittedly could be years away, we can have first dibs on our original seat for the following season?

For those who are shielding, perhaps they could be guaranteed their seat if they want it for the 1921-22 season if they don't feel able to take it up now. If people are not able to come to the ground in September, let's not lose them forever.

In the meantime, while waiting for football I might have to content myself waving to anyone knitting at Trent Bridge next month, hoping it's Miss Guest Diary. UTM!