Like society, clubs must look out for one another
DAY six of working from home. The light has begun to sting the eyes, every episode of Frasier has been watched (twice), and coronavirus is now just the second biggest threat to the wellbeing of my children.
It’s incredible how quickly you can go from chasing updates on hamstring strains to being holed up like Howard Hughes, but there’s nothing like a global pandemic to make you gain a bit of perspective on things.
All of the little irrelevances with which us devotees to the beautiful game fill our days in ‘normal’ times now suddenly seem so facile, don’t they?
I have heard many people refuting Bill Shankly’s famous quote about football being more important a matter than life or death over the past few days, and of course, the great man himself knew that wasn’t the case. The last week or so – and whatever the coming horrors to face may be – have underlined the point.
For me though, this time of reflection has also underlined just how important the game itself is and our clubs really are to our communities.
If there is a silver lining to be gleaned from this time of global crisis, then it is surely the opportunity for each of us to reconnect with the things which truly will be important to us when we come out the other side.
Family and friends are of course at the top of that list, but the things we are passionate about and which bring us joy are important too. When it comes to football, it is possible to both suddenly be reminded of the sheer triviality of it all, while simultaneously being reawakened to just how much happiness it brings to our daily lives.
What the hiatus should also do is allow football as a collective to ponder where the game has perhaps wandered from its ideals, and to correct its path somewhat. These could be issues like the saturation of television coverage, or correcting the balance between the current obsequiousness to broadcasting companies while still recognising the vital role they play in the game. Reviewing ticket prices, perhaps. All of those issues that have driven the game away from the people and made many of them feel secondary in the priorities of their clubs.
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, and this could also be an opportune moment for addressing the narrow self-interest that has all too often held Scottish football back.
From the perspective of the clubs, it is of course a hugely difficult and testing time. We can but hope that with the support of the governing bodies – perhaps even the government – as well as their fanbases and their communities rallying around them, that all 42 senior clubs and those below them make it through to the other side.
The clubs themselves, though, could have a hugely
singles grand slam finals of anyone, male or female?
3. Who holds the record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games?
4. Former basketball player Bill Russell won how many titles with the Boston Celtics across his 13-year career?
5. Which team finished as runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural Premier League season?
6. Which boxing class is heaviest? A) flyweight, B) bantamweight, C) featherweight
7. During a semi-final match at important role to play in that, and it all comes down to how much those higher up the food chain want to help those who may be in peril.
Instead of sniping at one another about the outcome of a season with no end in sight, or posturing about legal action, might we see a willingness from the bigger clubs to sacrifice a little for the greater good?
In England, there have been calls for clubs in the Premier League to sacrifice two percent of their broadcasting revenue as a solidarity payment to help clubs in the EFL. In Scotland, we don’t have the luxury of such riches, but there are other ways to spread our relative wealth.
Would there be an appetite for prize money, for example, to be evenly divided between clubs for just this season instead of weighted towards league position? The cynic in me would say no, but if football truly is a mirror of society, then perhaps it should reflect upon the incredible sacrifices being made by those
the 2009 US Open, Serena Williams launched a profanitylaced tirade at an official for calling what infringement?
8. How old is David Beckham? A) 44 B) 46 C) 49
9. In which year did Beckham retire from professional football? at the sharp end of this fight and adjust their priorities accordingly.
That being said, it has been hugely heartening to see a number of Scottish clubs who have taken it upon themselves to turn the relationship with their fans on its head, and reach out to offer support to those who are always there for them.
In fairness, the issue of the disconnect between fans, their communities and their clubs has been one that has been keenly addressed by a host of Scottish clubs over the past few years, but even so, it has been refreshing to see so many examples of the recognition that the relationship is a twoway street over these last days.
Partick Thistle, for example, have rebranded as Partick Thistle Family Club for the duration of the shutdown, pledging to tackle the effects of isolation on their supporters and particularly among vulnerable groups like the elderly.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell yesterday pledged resources to do the same, and no doubt others will be looking to reach out too in the coming weeks and months.
Nobody wanted this to happen. Everyone wishes it hadn’t. But the challenge now is to make the best of it.
We are being asked across society to look out for one another and take care of the most vulnerable among us, and so many inspirational people are stepping up and doing just that.
The same sentiment should apply to football as much as it does to any other walk of life.
If the clubs all come together, and look out for one another, then there is no reason why they can’t all come through the other side once this crisis subsides and we return to normal life.
10. Beckham is the co-owner of which League Two football club?