Blackpool SLO column: Behind the scenes as Blackpool welcomed back supporters

Saturday, September 19 was a brilliant day for Blackpool Football Club.
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The sun shone. Fans were allowed back to watch a game, the team played well and won, and off the field, everything went as planned.

It felt like a significant step forward had been taken in these difficult times.

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On the Tuesday, the club had received the communication all League One clubs were sent by the EFL about a plan to hold a test game in September.

Socially-distanced fans watched Blackpool's win against swindon Town a fortnight agoSocially-distanced fans watched Blackpool's win against swindon Town a fortnight ago
Socially-distanced fans watched Blackpool's win against swindon Town a fortnight ago

Blackpool, whose only remaining home game in the month was four days away, had to move fast to prepare to host one of seven trial games, with 1,000 fans being allowed inside Bloomfield Road for the first time since early March.

The club decided to offer the seats to the first 1,000 who had renewed their season tickets.

A random ballot of all season ticket holders was considered, but this would have cut across the social bubbles in which fans had purchased their seats and the club wanted to test that its Covid-19 safety provisions catered adequately for social bubbles.

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As supporters’ liaison officer, I saw just how hard everyone involved with Blackpool FC worked in those few days to make the game a safe experience for everyone.

It was decided all four stands were to be utilised, so as to test every part of the infrastructure and therefore a full complement of security, stewards and medical staff was required.

No food and drink outlets would be open in the concourses on the day of the game. All standard pre-match security and safety routines were executed as normal.

In the three days prior to Saturday, the club allocated the 1,000 seats throughout the stadium, respecting social bubbles if they existed, and notified the lucky spectators.

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They were emailed tickets to be printed at home because of time pressures and the club also issued a two-page code of conduct to those eligible to attend the game.

It instructed them to wear masks, except for when they were seated in their allocated seats, and requested them to be in those seats by 2.30pm if possible, with turnstiles opening at 1.30pm.

The fans’ volunteer force helped to clean all the seats and tidy up, and the stadium staff put in place all the measures required to ensure Covid-19 safety features around the ground.

Plenty of hand sanitiser points were clearly labelled and one-way systems wherever possible, clearly identified with ‘one-way’ and ‘no entry’ signage.

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Where one-way only wasn’t possible, signage advised of two-way flow, again clearly marked on the ground and with prominent signs advising spectators to follow the stewards’ instructions.

Supporters were asked to self-assess their own health status before attending and there were random temperature checks at turnstiles.

All the stewarding staff and the SLO team were temperature checked before commencing duties.

A free bottle of water was provided by a club sponsor to each supporter after passing through the turnstiles, while social distancing requirements and Covid-19 health rules were implemented in the latrines and wash rooms.

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Fans came in individually or in their two, three or four-person social groups, clearly excited to be back.

The stewards were well-briefed, watchful and very helpful on this strangest of days.

A thousand fans dotted around inside a stadium built for 16,000 looks sparse but they made a great noise, even when the players were going through their pre-match warm-up.

It was the first chance to see what is largely a new squad built up by Neil Critchley over the summer months.

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Both before and during the game, there was almost a party atmosphere in the warm sunshine.

Where we couldn’t sing out against the away fans – because of course there weren’t any – the four sides of the ground sang out against each other.

It’s the first time I’ve heard the Kop taunted for being like a library!

After the taking of the knee, the roar of the supporters got the match underway, such a great treat after so long, and a real boost to the players who’ve been performing behind closed doors for weeks.

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We’ve watched our team via live stream in pre-season games against Blackburn, Everton and Liverpool but nothing matches up to the sheer physical experience of being there.

Events on the field have obviously been covered elsewhere.

It was a most entertaining game and for us a great result.

Way more importantly than that, it demonstrated that for a limited number of spectators, football clubs are capable of putting on a game with safe, social distancing provisions and fans can treat the occasion responsibly.

After the final whistle, 1,000 happy Blackpool fans applauded their delighted players off the pitch and then filed out of the stadium row-by-row under the guidance of the stewards.

It all went off so well and I’m sure the representative from the Ground Safety Commission who was at the game will have fed as much back to his advisors and on to the government.

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We all know what transpired just days after the game, with the announcement that all progress towards fans back inside stadiums was to be put on indefinite hold.

It was depressing news, as we’d had high expectations that maybe our full complement of season-ticket holders would be allowed into tomorrow’s game against Lincoln.

My view is that if you compare the space, sanity and sense of order inside Bloomfield Road on that Saturday and contrast it with the crowds up and down a crowded Blackpool promenade on the same afternoon, the former wins hands down in terms of it being a safe and curated outdoor environment with clear and observed rules.

I hope, somewhere in the echelons of the decision-making process, that fact is realised and that properly supervised spectator entry to professional sport is approved to continue at the earliest opportunity.

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In the meantime, stay safe and if you wish or need to contact me for any reason, with concerns, queries or suggestions, my email is: [email protected] and my Twitter is @BFCSLO.

That handle will also find my SLO page on Facebook and it’s worth following that for updates.