Sport and COVID: What the Future Looks Like for the Elite and the Amateurs

 by Seb Martin

(image by: Lars Bo Nielsen)

Coronavirus has had an impact on sport in so many different ways, from the financial side of things to performances on the pitch. Many clubs rely on the income from fans attending the event they are putting on, especially lower down the ladder in non-league football and other amateur/semi professional sports. Inevitably they have suffered due to the lack of crowds during the pandemic.

In elite level sports the impacts of coronavirus have been varied, leading to a range of interesting situations developing. One of these was the summer transfer market for football, with many clubs being financially restricted and therefore having to be a lot smarter in their business dealings. Proof of this is in the record number of loans seen in a transfer market, with clubs not wanting to risk a large sum of money on a player and therefore preferring to sign them on a loan basis. There were also a large number of deals that fell through with high fees attached to them, such as Jadon Sancho’s transfer to Man United failing following Dortmund’s refusal to budge on their high asking price for the player. 

In addition to this, the recent January transfer window was extremely quiet due to the clubs' ongoing financial difficulties. This lack of funding for clubs has stemmed from a number of causes, such as the owners of many businesses ramping down due to COVID and the resulting match day revenue drying up. 

In rugby, the premiership witnessed a slower return to matchplay. This is due to the vast difference in funding compared to football, and how quickly the premiership could use their additional cash to implement testing programs etc. 

Sports such as rugby and football have suffered due to a lack of fans too. As an entertainment spectacle both sports seem to have regressed with the lack of fans to motivate them whilst on the pitch. A recent example being England's dismal opening game of the Six Nations against Scotland with a single try throughout the entire game. The missing extra adrenalin that elite sports men/women get from having the crowd in the stadium, however big or small, is vital to their performance, responding to the pressure they receive from their fans to succeed. 

In the Premier League, many big games have failed to live up to the media hype and fans' expectations, with abysmal results such as Liverpool 0-0 Man United, Man United 0-0 Man City, and Arsenal 0-0 Man United. These games were all broadcast to millions of people watching at home, and it's fair to say that they were all left bitterly disappointed. Many games including these key matches have looked pedestrian and lack the usual pace and intensity of a Premier League fixture. The lack of fans in the stadium gives the stadium a training atmosphere. 

In the amateur side of the game, things are altogether more serious. Almost all of these clubs whether it be rugby, football, cricket etc rely on matchday revenue to keep them viable. There is no TV money, very little sponsorship income, therefore they are absolutely reliant on fans coming to the stadium and buying tickets, beers, burgers, scarves and other club memorabilia. With this vital revenue stream completely drying up due to COVID, clubs are really struggling to keep up with the demands of running these local hubs. 

There is the additional issue of uncertainty and anxiety about the future of these clubs. Almost all amateur leagues last year e.g. the conference, were declared null and void, which many clubs, especially the ones who had been pushing for promotion, were very frustrated with. This is because lots of time, money and preparation had gone into the first three quarters of that season, and clubs were walking away from it with nothing to show for it. This left an overriding sense of anger and frustration for many teams who were in good positions in the league who possibly could have got promoted and earned a cash prize and had the opportunity to play in a better league. 

In all fairness to the FA it was an extremely tricky situation for them to deal with, but it highlights yet again the lack of funding lower down the football pyramid, and how little attention and care they are given from  higher powers. Now clubs will be looking towards the future, still uncertain whether they will get to play any football this season, and what their club will have to do to get back up and running post lockdown. It is certainly going to be challenging for the majority, but hopefully we will have all elite sport back and a return to normality in the not too distant future.