The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
It’ s now time to free sport from its Covid-19 shackles
The new Scottish football season kicks off on Friday and, thankfully, despite the rising number of Covid cases in recent weeks it seems there is more cause for optimism that we will see a return to some semblance of normality this season.
The virus remains firmly etched in our psyche now with the forgetfulness of going into a shop without a mask now overtaken by it being done almost without thinking.
The vaccine roll-out has gone a long way to reducing the risk level of 12 months ago to the extent that by May we even had fans attending some of the playoff matches.
The situation remains precarious with the number of positive cases seemingly affecting the younger members of the country’s population, with effects ranging from asymptomatic to mild.
The fatality rate is much lower but this horrible virus is still taking lives, which is why the Scottish Government has remained cautious. The fan zones for the Euros in Glasgow and the spike in positive cases due to the Tartan Army’s invasion of London last month illustrate why.
But it does feel as if we are reaching the point where we simply have to live with it.
Those who travelled to London without a ticket have one thing in common with those who have opted not to take the vaccine, in that they have made a conscious decision to take their chances.
Therefore, if they are prepared to take on that risk then it is time for those who have had both their shots to let them get on with it.
I’ve reached that conclusion after watching fans at the world championship snooker final in May, those who have been at Euro 2020 games, the hardy souls at Murrayfield to watch the British and Irish Lions and, of course, Wimbledon.
When guidance is no longer being followed – thanks Dominic Cummings and Matt Hancock to name but two – then it becomes a near-impossible task in trying deny people the small pleasures in life.
That’s what sport is. A pasttime, a hobby, a passion project, a chance to let off steam at the end of a working day or week.
In Scottish football, clubs have struggled through a year like no other with the financial fallout meaning survival was success in the last campaign. It’s why transfer activity has been relatively sparse this summer.
There is a reluctance to spend any money without knowing what your income stream will be.
It remains a challenge but clubs in the Premiership can just about get by on season ticket sales and TV revenue on a short-term basis.
Clubs across the country want nothing more than to welcome their fans back through the turnstiles. Football fans, and supporters of other sports for that matter, want to be back watching their local team.
Limited numbers will be at the opening round of games in the Premier Sports Cup this weekend with the carrot of the doors being opened wide after August 9 being dangled by Nicola Sturgeon.
I hope the first minister follows through with her promise. Watching fans go to international events all summer only to be denied the chance to follow their sport at local level would be too much to handle.
It’s time to let the people go.