THE FANS NEED US... AND WE NEED THEM
Crawley boss Yems backs call to get supporters back where they belong... in stadiums
FOOTBALL has never been more important than in this time of national crisis.
Fans are not only missing out on going to games, clubs are at the heart of communities and provide a distraction from the pandemic, as well as employing hundreds of people.
But the absence of crowds is being felt at every level of the game, yet the mixed messages are also a source of huge frustration for clubs, who rely on supporters to keep teams alive, both on and off the pitch.
That is why John Yems, boss of League Two side Crawley Town, is backing the Daily Mirror’s Save Our Sports campaign to try and persuade the Government to think again about letting fans back into stadiums.
Yems said: “You talk to fans at all levels and they are desperate to get back and we miss them so much. Everyone talks about how much we depend on them. Well, now is the time we need to help them.
“It’s not just money, it’s mental and emotional ties for people, as everyone is worried about jobs, or if their football club will exist next week. We must bang the drum on this.”
EFL clubs have been hit particularly hard by the
Government’s decision to “pause” the return of fans into stadiums, and many will face f inancial ruin unless supporters are allowed back in.
Clubs rely on gate receipts, but businesses – such as catering – also rely on the clubs to stay afloat and, with no fans, they will all go out of business.
He said: “You can go to a pub until 10pm and drink, but you can’t go to a game and watch. They can’t say a pub is nothing to do with football, while the Premier League is bringing forward kick-offs so you can watch games in the boozer. It makes no sense.”
Crawley is a modest club but at the heart of the community, and Yems, 61, will never get used to empty stadiums.
“We miss that whole interaction and the buzz of it,” he added. “There’s an old saying – you knew when you were at a football match because you could smell the hot dogs. You can’t smell them any more because they’re not cooking.
“Why not get everyone in the ground wearing a mask? From our level, everyone was looking forward to having fans back. The players, everyone.
“That’s why we love football. It’s an emotional, human game. You can’t play in front of nobody. If we wanted that, why do we have stadiums? It’s an entertainment business.”