Football without Fans, when will they return
Football has returned but fans haven’t as games are being played behind closed doors. The K League has been back for a few weeks now and the Bundesliga has just had its second weekend of football. As great as it has been to watch live football on TV there’s something missing, FANS. The games just aren’t the same without having fans watching in the stadiums.
The atmosphere in the stadiums just isn’t the same and it translates onto the pitch with games being played at an intensity similar to that of a preseason friendly game. No one would say the players are not trying and important games are still important. Teams challenging for league titles and those fighting to avoid relegation are no doubt going into games wanting to give their all.
The reality is it just isn’t the same and the players are not able to play at the same intensity as when they play in front of a fans. Fans bring an atmosphere that is now obvious has a massively positive effect on the intensity of the game. Watching games on TV is not as exciting without the fans in the stadium so it’s fair to say that fans who go to cheer their teams on contribute to the quality of the game we all love.
There are obvious short term financial implications from not having fans in the stadium. The revenue clubs get from gate receipts has gone and for many clubs this is a big loss. Clubs will be dependent on TV deals and sponsorship to generate income. At the moment the excitement of having live football on TV is attracting fans from all over the world to watch the games. What will happen long term to viewing figures if fans can not return to the stadiums.
It’s clear that the game just isn’t the same without the fans. The players can’t use the energy from the fans to help them create a more intense gripping game on the pitch. So in addition to making a better atmosphere in the stadium, which those at home get a feel of when watching on TV the actual product on the pitch improves as well. What is going to happen to the interest in the game if the fans can’t return to watch the games in the stadiums.
As already discussed clubs lose revenue from the gate receipts. This alone will effect sponsorship to a degree but if TV viewing figures drop as well then sponsorship will be effected even more. Not to mention TV companies offering less money for the rights to broadcast the games. The game of football needs fans in stadiums for a number of reasons. Primarily it improves the quality of the game as the players feed off the fans. They create an atmosphere and better quality of game that improves TV viewing figures. Full stadiums is what makes football what it is on so many levels and without them so much money will be lost from the sport. So yes it’s great to have live football on TV again but football needs its real fans to return to the stadiums to survive as we know and love it.
