By Tom Quirke
With some football stadiums now welcoming back spectators and thoughts turning to the European Championships next month, fans have been sharing their thoughts on being back on the terraces.
As part of Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown, the Euros will be ticketed and attended.
The FA has guaranteed that 22,500 fans will be allowed into Wembley Stadium for all three of England’s group matches in June.
This announcement is also massive for lower league teams as their revenue comes largely from ticket sales. Teams from the Championship down have been massively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and there are a lot of people very thrilled to get back to supporting their club.
Blackburn Rovers fan Nicholas Quirke said on the return: “I’m over the moon to be able to see the Rovers again. I live quite far away from Blackburn so it’s always exciting whenever I get the opportunity to go down on a weekend, so roll on next season!”
Huddersfield Town fan Michael Smith had some reservations about the impact of fans on team performance.
He said: “I can’t wait to go and see them but I just think it is going to follow the same system as last year and we will be in trouble again.
“Sometimes I just think there’s nothing the fans can do for us. However, I will still be in the stands no matter what.”
Although feelings were mixed, the return of fans to the stadiums was seen as a benchmark date for millions of people up and down the country as lockdown restrictions ease.
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