There are probably a number of different scenarios for the up-coming season.  Are there any more options than these?:

1) Season starts with no restrictions on crowds just like the old-normal (probably wishful thinking)
2) Season starts with no crowds for the duration, everyone has to sign-up to a virtual season ticket on iFollow, and that's the only income the club has
3) Season starts with behind closed doors games, but a fixed date (Jan 1st?) where crowds are allowed back in.  iFollow for a few months, then grounds opened up (probably to part-season ticket holders only)
4) Whole season with limited attendance numbers allowed (season ticket holders only?)
5) Mothball all clubs, with no football until 2021/22 season.

Do we think there are any other options?

Which is the most likely?

Do you think GTFC can survive all of those scenarios?

I personally think '4' is unworkable, but this seems to be the one getting traction on forums and in the press.  Social distancing at football?  Nah.  Our club is not organised enough, and I'd say it's a fact that football fans cannot be trusted.  That's not a dig, it's just unrealistic to suggest people can sit still for 45 minutes and not have to brush past people mid-game to leave their seats for whatever reason.

Of course option 1 would be great, and at least with option 2 we know what's what.  However, it isn't right that the club would necessarily have 3,000 iFollow subscribers to replace season ticket holders - if pubs are now open, then masses of fans could theoretically watch games in pubs for free with no money going to the club, which would be disastrous.  And iFollow costs £10 per game - is anyone gonna pay £460 for that?  Doubtful, although having a 'season ticket' for all home and away games would be a good selling point and could maybe make the club MORE money than normal as it's not just the home team benefitting.  Another downside, though, would be that it only costs £10 per HOUSEHOLD, not per person, so families watching games will mean the club making less money than normal.  What a minefield!

I hate the wishy-washy options 3 and 4, although they seem more likely to happen.

Option 5 could be the safest, but also potentially the most threatening for the future of lower league football, as presumably players under contract would need paying whether there's income or not.  Another downside would be that you'd be paying players to sit on their behinds for a year knowing they'd then leave you before football commenced (as most of our players have a single year left).

What's your best bet on what's gonna happen?  I wish we knew.

Yeah, there's no chance that the club can bank on 4,000 x £10 for games on I Follow.

Vast majority of people, myself included, would watch it with mates. Be a similar scenario when the boxing is on PPV.  Get a load of mates round, all chip in and it works out a couple of quid each.  Even if it's a household of two who normally go to games, your income goes from two tickets at £20 to £10 for two.  

For those who watch games on I Follow (legitimately ;D), is the service reliable now?  

I can't see anything else but social distancing applying.  I think what will happen in the next few weeks is an even further relaxing of the social distancing rules (which, lets be honest are virtually redundant now anyway!) which will allow sporting events to return with crowds in place.  

Yesterdays announcement on the masks probably means we'll have to wear masks to the game and there will have to be some system in place for toileting and kiosks.

The concern, at our level, about reduced capacities will probably be a non-argument as there will still be a fair amount of people who will choose not to go to games that they previously would have done.  Be it through change of financial circumstances or because they're genuinely scared of sitting in a crowd.

Amongst the many drivers of Govt Covid policy is the level of compliance across society on a variety of measures taken so far. Patchy on social distancing, poor on face masks, better in supermarkets but excellent support by community groups and neighbours for 'shielding' and vulnerable groups. For all the praise by ministers of our general response as individuals there is alarm at how many of us behave as a group.

Averages mask the reality of where the virus is and how it transmits. It is finally becoming PC to publish 'granular' data on local hotspots. Test, track and trace embody that in principle. If, for example, Blundell Park was inside a high infection zone covering local streets then it should close temporarily. If my street in Sheffield is identified by the local health authorities as a hotspot then should I be allowed to make a non essential journey to Cleethorpes?

We are following other European countries by moving from macro sledgehammer tactics to micro targeted responses where the data is key. We should start the season with some local supporters only. No away fans, no exiles until the logistics of ground safety are approved by health authorities. Then gradually increase as the new normality is learned. Provision for more vulnerable groups will take even longer to figure out.

Football should be given the chance to demonstrate that it can work within guidelines. Writing a season off is defeatist talk. Where there is a will there is a way!

The way the experts are talking we could have an even bigger second wave in the winter.

Will things ever get back to normal before a jab is available to make it safe for us to return to how it was.

Let's hope the so called experts are wrong and we return to normality sooner than they predict.

Quoted from grimsby pete

the so called experts

Bloody experts! What do they know?

Quoted from pizzzza

Bloody experts! What do they know?

From what I've witnessed so far, not a fat lot!

I said in the other post, it’s either safe or it’s not. At our level playing without any crowd seems ridiculous, and iFollow subscriptions simply wouldn’t be enough. I can go to the pub and watch with mates and spend the tenner on ale or watch at home? I know what most will do.

Stadiums have to open or not, one or the other. Having taken several trips to supermarkets, shopping and so forth it would seem that the government have clearly given up on anything (were they actually arsed in the first instance) and it all seems more about social control than virus control now.

The mask situation says a lot, I mean it all seems a little too late. Football relies on crowds, especially at our level. We all love football but the prospect of socially distanced stadiums, nonsense ideas of when you can take a urine, no singing and all that jazz just seems to suggest that it’s not worth it.

Quoted from grimsby pete

The way the experts are talking we could have an even bigger second wave in the winter.

Will things ever get back to normal before a jab is available to make it safe for us to return to how it was.

Let's hope the so called experts are wrong and we return to normality sooner than they predict.

Without turning this thread into politics.
Yesterday's number of deaths was 11, the lowest daily rise since the pandemic i believe?

Yet in the news, its the potential of a 2nd wave, and it being worse than the 1st?

The media in this country is disgraceful, and i don't get how any human can enjoy reporting negativity to the nation, whilst hundreds of thousands are terrified  

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

Without turning this thread into politics.
Yesterday's number of deaths was 11, the lowest daily rise since the pandemic i believe?

Yet in the news, its the potential of a 2nd wave, and it being worse than the 1st?

The media in this country is disgraceful, and i don't get how any human can enjoy reporting negativity to the nation, whilst hundreds of thousands are terrified  

Yes, I'm with you on this.  But the Monday numbers are always low due to slow reporting over the weekend.  Every Tuesday it goes above 100 - I'd say if it dips below that today we might be turning a corner.

As for the tabloids, they're a disgrace, aren't they?  Let's be honest they probably want this to continue.

Quoted from aldi_01

I said in the other post, it’s either safe or it’s not. At our level playing without any crowd seems ridiculous, and iFollow subscriptions simply wouldn’t be enough. I can go to the pub and watch with mates and spend the tenner on ale or watch at home? I know what most will do.

Stadiums have to open or not, one or the other. Having taken several trips to supermarkets, shopping and so forth it would seem that the government have clearly given up on anything (were they actually arsed in the first instance) and it all seems more about social control than virus control now.

The mask situation says a lot, I mean it all seems a little too late. Football relies on crowds, especially at our level. We all love football but the prospect of socially distanced stadiums, nonsense ideas of when you can take a urine, no singing and all that jazz just seems to suggest that it’s not worth it.

I do agree with this, let's get football started again with no restrictions.  If they don't, again you're right, even someone like me who's desperate to get back will sit watching it at home.  And like you say, a good chunk will simply watch it at the pub or a friends house.

There's no way I'm off to Blundell Park wearing a mask or freaking out if someone gets too close, it's not worth the hassle.

The Government has just covered £1.5 billion for the arts. If football can't go ahead safely there should be a package so that clubs can play behind closed doors.

Quoted from Heisenberg

Yes, I'm with you on this.  But the Monday numbers are always low due to slow reporting over the weekend.  Every Tuesday it goes above 100 - I'd say if it dips below that today we might be turning a corner.

As for the tabloids, they're a disgrace, aren't they?  Let's be honest they probably want this to continue.

But at its peak, Monday's was still over 500+ deaths mate.

They put all this scary headlines, to make people click on the link, and they get paid.
Instead of helping try boost the morale of the nation by posting good news

All i can see is that we will just get going in some form, and WHAM ,  second wave comes with the colder weather and we all have to stop again. And i think that will be the end of thousands of firms / shops and football clubs to name a few

Regarding I follow, it seems decent, you sometimes get 10 minutes of feed from Scunny or Hull but I very much enjoy my Saturday mornings in bed with John Tonduer and Alan Buckley.