Arrigo Sacchi once said that, “Football is the most important of the least important things in life.” While he didn’t make this quote in 2020 it certainly applies to the current state of affairs. With our world still coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of a vaccine on the horizon, football fans are starting to think ahead. After watching games for months on television the possibility of returning to games is on the horizon. But the big question that has yet to be answered is just what sporting events will look like.
While football is certainly not the only industry that has suffered during this pandemic it has definitely taken a hit. Despite the major television contracts, sponsorship deals, and partnerships football clubs across the world are struggling to make up revenue this year. The main reason for this is simple: clubs are not getting the gameday revenue that they would normally receive. Tickets are obviously one source of revenue but so too are T-Shirts, Hats, Food, and of course alcohol. In a report conducted by the European Club Association in September it was found that the top 20 European leagues would lose a combined 4 billion Euros from the loss of gameday revenue during the 2019-2020 season and the 2020-2021 season. This loss of revenue in particular hurts smaller clubs. In a recent report conducted by the UK Government titled State of Play it was found that Non-League clubs had lost 46% of their revenue and that 10% of grassroots soccer clubs face closure due to the financial impact of the pandemic. Teams across the world have to cut costs across the board, including furloughing staff and requiring employees to take pay cuts. So for clubs getting fans back into the stadiums as soon as possible is the big goal of 2021. But how it can be done relies on two things: 1.) If there is a vaccine and 2.) If there isn’t a vaccine what sort of risk mitigation plan does the club and their league have in place. While the first point depends upon factors outside of football’s control, the second point can certainly be explored. Leagues such as Major League Soccer, the United Soccer Leagues, and the Bundesliga have already begun to allow fans back into stadiums in limited numbers. Safety regulations vary but usually include a mask mandate and contactless food and alcohol purchases. Fans are also spread out and are allowed to leave their seats at staggered times. The odds are that restrictions at stadiums will not be released all at once, that there will be a slow, gradual reduction in restrictions.
While it is certainly great to see fans inside of the stadium there are still some obvious problems. First, clubs have to do a cost-benefit analysis of allowing in less than 10-25% capacity versus paying for alcohol and food vendors, security,
