The Euro 2020 event has come to an end and although Scotland fans would’ve hoped for more, it was an entertaining tournament nonetheless – the packed stadium in Wembley for the semis and the finals have certainly been a sight missed over the past eighteen months and have given many something to look forward to and be hopeful for in the near future too, the tournament was even such a success that punters were tuning in from all over including states like Illinois where football betting isn’t all that popular. Some of this excitement for a look back to something more normal may be on the way for Scotland with the announcement of the level 0 restrictions on July 19th – but is this good for Scottish football?
The timing couldn’t be much better, with the 2021/22 league set to start on July 31st the change will allow for up to 2,000 spectators to attend outdoor sporting events, and although much lower than the 60,000 that was seen at Wembley on the finals, it is certainly a good start, and the limit will have a different impact on the different clubs too.
Perhaps on the better side of things is that it may attract players to attend games that they may otherwise not have, in the 19/20 season the lowest average attendance was at just 2,634 and whilst over the current limit, for the smaller clubs that only pull this presence it could be a big gift – those unable to get into the bigger games but with an itch to scratch for live football, this could certainly be the answer. This does come with the drawback that local fans may have a harder time securing their own seat too.
For the bigger clubs, they will still be operating well below capacity once the season gets underway, but it does bring the promise that there may be room for change going forward too – 2,000 fans is just a building block and if cases can stay low and measures can be followed by the fans who are fortunate enough to attend, this number could start to see steady rises – with the goal to currently lift all restrictions by August 9th, it is only a short term change, but fans who choose not to follow this guidance could ruin things for others, and if cases do rise with live football games being a contributing factor, and the stance taken on controlling the pandemic from the offset, this August 9th date could easily see change and be pushed back. For now, the temporary level 0 measures are certainly looking like a good thing, but it’s also best to err of the side of caution to see how quickly things could change if they go wrong too.