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Fans crowd Linda’s burger van for the first time in more than nine months.
Linda herself is busy putting burgers on the grill, but her assistant, Annie, sums up what it means for fans to return to the stadiums.
“It’s just amazing,” she says. “It’s great to see everyone smile again, it seems like a bit of normalcy has returned.”
Linda’s truck is right outside the entrance to Adams Park, the home of Wycombe Wanderers. They have had no supporters here since February 22 and in the interim period they have experienced arguably the greatest successes in club history, promoted to the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, for the first time in 133 years.
Annie says it feels like a little ‘normal’ to have fans back
They won the playoff at a nearly empty Wembley without any of their own fans present. “That was the best and worst day, very bittersweet,” says Mark Bowring, a longtime Wycombe supporter.
“I am so excited to be back here watching you at the Championship, it feels great to see familiar faces again, but I am so sorry for the fans who are not here.”
Another fan joins. “It’s not just soccer, it’s a community,” he says.
Under the most recent government regulations, outdoor stadiums in Level 1 areas can hold 4,000 fans or 50% of the stadium capacity, whichever is less. On Level 2, like Wycombe, 2000 fans or 50% of capacity are allowed.
A breakdown in communication between the central government and the local council meant that Wycombe had adapted its planning towards a pilot event, so only 1,000 supporters were allowed in to watch their struggling team take on Stoke on Wednesday night. .
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Queuing outside, they are allowed to enter one by one, some stopping so their temperature can be tested, clutching their ticket like it’s gold.
This is not the pre-pandemic fan experience. The fans are socially distanced with at least three seats between each match, the wearing of masks is mandatory and no food or drink is sold in the stadium.
American owner Pete Couhig is thrilled to have the fans back, even if it’s costing him. “Right now, these games are actually costing us a little extra money to get 1,000 fans,” he says.
“Ticket sales for game day are huge at the Championship. We were expecting most, if not all, of our games to sell out this year.
“Instead, we do not cover our costs with the sale of tickets or the sale of food and drink.”
Travel to and from the ground remains the government’s top concern
There has been a massive push in soccer to win back the fans. Many thought that as many as a third of supporters could return in October after a series of pilot events, but the second wave struck making those plans impossible.
Even now there is frustration that more fans are not allowed in since these are outdoor events. But authorities insist that what remains a concern are travel to and from the stadium.
The hope is that with vaccines on the way, by the end of the season, stadiums like Adams Park will be full.
“A vaccine has been authorized for the public and that will be a huge step forward not only for the football industry, but for the entire hospitality industry,” says stadium manager Gordon Reilly. “It could mean we can have a full house here before the end of the season, that’s for sure.”
For now, these fans are thankful just to be here to applaud, even if they are applauding a 0-1 loss at the end of the night.
