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New Stadium Details And Discussions

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
6,143
15,550
Streaming passes
But what if you are not reassured or fail to get a seat in the ballot for that weekend’s big game?
For the last two months, British fans have been able to watch any game they want, live and legally, many of them on free-to-air TV channels. It is a right many supporters around the world take for granted but The Athletic revealed last month that next season will see a return to our usual schedules.
The rights are auctioned off every three years and though the number of games made available to broadcasters has been creeping up, as of today, UK fans will only have the opportunity to watch 200 of next season’s 380 Premier League games live, with Sky Sports owning the rights to 128 of those, BT Sport 52 and Amazon Prime the remaining 20.
Sky owns the live rights for EFL games, too, and it will broadcast up to 118 of the 460 Championship games and at least 20 League One and League Two matches.
EFL fans, however, do have the option of streaming games via the league’s iFollow service or their club’s own video streaming product. It is an option Premier League fans have been wanting for years, and now more than ever.
The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust recently published its five priorities for next season and number four is: “For the club to make arrangements for fans who can’t attend games to have access to a TV ticket pass/streaming for that game.
“With capacity greatly reduced, and a return to the broadcast arrangements that see only half the games broadcast live, it will be important to make TV access as easy as possible for fans not at the Emirates Stadium.”
Many other fans’ groups agree.
“Fans who watch their team regularly home and away, or even just at home, have to accept they may not be able to watch live regularly next season,” explains one member of a leading trust, who wished to remain anonymous.
“At the end of last season, season-ticket holders got free TV passes so they could at least watch their team. Now, unless there’s a similar arrangement, many fans won’t see their team play unless they get a pay-TV subscription and their team is chosen for a televised game. But every game is filmed. There will be a streaming market: fans wanting to watch their team.
“Most season-ticket holders and members have paid a fee of some sort, so there’s an argument for including a streaming option in what they’ve paid for until they can get in the ground. Even if there’s a small charge there’s an opportunity, because digital businesses can offer cheap products on a huge scale.
“Can clubs really be happy with their fans not seeing their team? Does that make sense if there is a worry about habits being broken and fans drifting away? If the rights package prevents any such deal, is that the best evidence yet that the TV tail is wagging the football dog? That the game has given too much power away to TV?”
This is not an argument anyone at the Premier League wants to enter into now, particularly as it is still negotiating last season’s rebate to broadcasters for finishing the season late and in empty stadiums.
But, privately, many in the game see the sense of giving fans more of what they want, which would also please sponsors and dissuade people from watching illegal streams of broadcasts intended for overseas viewers.
Manchester City, Premier League, fans


Phil Foden celebrates scoring against Arsenal in front of a display showing pictures of the team’s fans in June (Photo: Dave Thompson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
On Friday, with delicious timing, Tottenham contacted their season-ticket holders to tell them they had free access to all three of the club’s behind-closed-doors pre-season friendlies: home games against Ipswich Town, Reading and Birmingham City. Non season-ticket holders can watch these games, via the club’s N17 Live streaming service, for £20.
The counter-argument to streaming everything is the impact this might have on lower-division football. It is telling that the FSA did back the temporary lifting of the restriction against broadcasting live games on Saturday afternoons for the lockdown period, and will perhaps do so again next season, but does not support a permanent change to the Saturday 3pm blackout in the UK.
What happens next?
Well, Dr Hunt has been at The Crucible in Sheffield this weekend to continue the crowd dynamics studies she and British professional sport wanted to conduct for the last fortnight.
The World Snooker Championship being played there was one of three sporting events earmarked for a “return of fans” trial last month, along with a few games of county cricket and some horse racing at Goodwood, but those plans were rudely interrupted when the government saw signs the infection rate was ticking up again.
Those fears have allayed slightly and prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that test events could continue, hence Hunt’s late opportunity to catch Ronnie O’Sullivan in action, and the football industry is now scrambling to join the pilot project party.
It had initially been hoped the season’s traditional curtain-raiser, the Community Shield between Liverpool and Arsenal on Saturday, August 29, could be one of those test events. However, it was not included on the original list and the suspension of the tests ended any hopes of it being added later on.
Every ground will need at least one rehearsal before opening night, though, and this is likely to be a game with half of the ground’s revised capacity.
The EFL is understood to be keen on using September’s early rounds of the Carabao Cup or EFL Trophy for its test events.
A more sarcastic observer than us might suggest trying to fill 15 per cent of grounds is a bit ambitious for these fixtures. That is a bit unfair, though, as nobody can dispute how hard the clubs, leagues and local authorities are working on getting fans back into stadiums. And as with Project Restart, Zoom calls and elbow bumps, it will all seem very strange to start with but then become less weird with each passing week.
While nobody is pretending we are anywhere near getting through this crisis yet, football has already proved itself to be collegiate, resilient and resourceful.
The game and the government always talked about the return of fans being the fifth and final stage in sport’s resumption.
We are four-fifths of the way there and while the final fifth will not be completed until the Amex, Etihad, Old Trafford, St James’ Park and Roots Hall are packed to the rafters again, we have to start somewhere.
 

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
6,143
15,550
Has anybody just read all that. A definite star coming your way if you did. No offence @Saoirse

Took my 5mins just to scroll through it...
Haha sorry, I was indeed nerdy enough to read it and didn't quite realise the length!

tl;Dr Clubs want beer in stands, but no sign of Govt legislating in time. Regardless we're working on an app to deliver it to seat. Main limits on capacity are concourse space etc - not everyone will have the same % of capacity - ours should be at or above the 30% baseline due to modern, spacious facilities. All grounds will need one test event at half their approved capacity e.g. 15% instead of 30% - EFL want to use Trophy/Cup games for this but fears there may not be enough interest at some! Most clubs want a streaming option for non-televised games, but needs to be negotiated with broadcasters and FA including fears of e.g. impact on lower leagues
 

juste5boys

Well-Known Member
Jun 3, 2018
221
543
Just read it all and wondering how many people realise how different it's going to be and what the long term impact will be
 

spursfan1976

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2018
239
357
I started to read it, but stopped when it captioned the picture of our stadium, fans on the tottenham stadium concourse in december 2018,
 

L-man

Misplaced pass from Dier
Dec 31, 2008
9,979
51,364
I follow Brighton on twitter and noticed they had a return to stadia article so had a read through and there's some pretty interesting stuff on it. It mentions a 6-PL club working group, I would have imagined we would be on this as we've already seen that Levy is keen to open as quickly as possible. I've picked out the bits that I think are either relevant or could be applied at Spurs, such as Season-ticket stuff, , ballots and track and trace. Two articles are here and here

  • Barber is on a six-club Premier League working party which is supporting the league’s efforts with government to help devise the process for clubs at all levels of the game to begin to bring fans back into stadiums over the coming weeks and months.

    At last night’s event he revealed that the club has offered to stage a test event which, subject to Government approval, could take place at the Amex as soon as Saturday week, albeit at a significantly reduced capacity, with the Albion and other clubs potentially working towards returning to higher capacities, and ultimately to full capacities, at the earliest and safest opportunity.

  • Fans will automatically be entered into EVERY match ballot, and each match will be subject to a fresh ballot (eg – if you are successful in one, you are NOT ruled out of the next). However, there are two key considerations for all season-ticket holders and 1901 Club members.

    Firstly, there is an opt-out and fans can choose to sit out up to six ballots (two per match category) across the season.
    Secondly, you need to let us know if you wish to attend in a group. If you choose to attend in a group this will not diminish or improve your chances of success.
    However it is important to note, that you can only join one group for the season, although members of the group can still opt out of individual games.
    Groups will be capped at a maximum of five people. If you do not enter the group ballot you will be assumed to be happy to attend matches on your own.

  • Those general admission season-ticket holders successful in the ballot will then be able to select a seat in their price band or below, from those available. Those who do not select seats will automatically be issued with a ticket by the club; please note, groups may also be split at this point depending on availability.

    Fans who are successful in the ballot, will also have the option of listing on the season-ticket exchange, should their circumstances change, with funds returned to credit card or bank account, and not to credit balance if their ticket sells.

    Crucially, this will also provide a second chance to those who miss out in the ballot process.

  • Track and trace: Firstly, fans must only use tickets allocated to them, and subject to it being in place, have the track-and-trace app on the phone. Currently many venues are using sign-in systems or old fashioned pen and ink guest books – but at a football stadium this just isn’t possible, but the government will need us to register who attends, should there be a localised outbreak.

    So it is absolutely essential you use the ticket in your name and bring photo ID with you that matches the ticket - checks will be carried out for all fans - and when attending you have the track-and-trace app switched on. Further details on this will be shared in due course.

  • What we can do to help we will, for example we are looking at ways to extend parking available, and we are also considering a drop-off and pick-up facility close to, but away from stadium. Match tickets will be valid as usual on public transport across the city and further afield.
 

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
6,143
15,550
Return of fans approved for Tier 7 and below (i.e. everything below the Conference, starting with the Northern, Southern and Isthmian Leagues). Hopefully trials higher up the period following soonish - if Brighton are asking to host a trial event next weekend it's probably a fair guess than we're asking the same for either the Reading or Birmingham game if the Government approve it.

 

Bobbins

SC's 14th Sexiest Male 2008
May 5, 2005
21,548
45,031
Looks like the Joshua/Pulev fight will now take place at the O2 and not the Spurs stadium - bit of a disaster, I was expecting it to be re-scheduled, but not the venue changed. Presumably we have too many games coming up in a short space of time/an outdoor venue wasn't appropriate given the new date?

Not good either way, this was supposed to be the summer of packing in the events and showing the stadium off to the world.
 

Yid-ol

Just-outside Edinburgh
Jan 16, 2006
31,097
19,276
The only way I can see it being possible is if you aren’t allowed to leave your seat during the game.

The stadium should be fine to allow people into but it’s getting there that will be the problem.

The problem with the stadium is, if you are all in and the person in the middle of the row wants to get out for a piss.
I would guess there will empty seats but people dotted around in the same row if it's 31k
 
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