Sports fans are back where they belong, watching the action where it is happening. The last weekend in April has been a huge one for sports fans and sports betting fans. Pretty much a year has passed since fans were allowed into sporting arenas. Fans were forced to watch events on TV and place bets online and the magic was somehow lost a little. Fans couldn’t just not watch in the stadiums, they could also not watch in pubs either and were forced to watch from the comfort of their own homes. Meanwhile, players were forced to play in empty arenas, with no cheers, no fans, struggling to build up momentum. Home advantage was all but lost and enthusiasm was dwindling.
Reopening Sports
After a long year, fans are back and not before time. First of all, we saw snooker fans watching the action in The Crucible, as Ronnie O’Sullivan captivated snooker fans with his magic. The event was a success. With a half-full capacity and fans having to present a negative test result, no new cases were recorded after the event and it was back to normality… or as close as is possible.
On April 25, 2021, football fans returned to the stadium to watch the final of the EFL Cup, as Tottenham took on the might of Man City. It may not have been at full capacity, and there may have been plenty of empty seats, but finally, football has been taken off mute and the voice has returned to football.
A Socially Distanced Spectacle
Although Tottenham fans went in full of hope, pretty much all bookies had Man City as the odds on favourite, especially after a difficult week with the sacking of Mourinho. The bookies got it right and Laporte’s header was the only goal of the match, taking the Cityzens to a one-nil victory.
Although many would have put their bets on more goals being scored, it did nothing to detract from the excitement felt by all as the game was played out. Despite each team having just 2,000 socially distanced fans present, you can rely on football fans to generate the noise of 20,000 and this game was the most atmospheric since football closed its doors to the public in March 2020.
What Comes Next?
The next big event will be on May 15 at Wembley Stadium, when it is the FA Cup final. This huge event will see Chelsea face off against Leicester, both desperate to add silverware to their trophy cabinets. The odds on favourite to win the trophy is Chelsea. However, all online bookies appreciate that it will be a tightly fought match. Leicester beat Chelsea earlier in the Premier League season and both sides are very capable of winning the match. This will just add to the excitement of the match.
In comparison to the EFL Cup final, the FA Cup final should play host to 21,000 fans – and although this is way off its capacity of 90,000, it’s a step in the right direction. The FA is hoping that by the start of Euro 2020, it might be back at full capacity. However, most are prepared for half-capacity at this stage.
Hopefully, if the government sticks to its ‘roadmap’, PremierLeague games could be hosting up to 10,000 supporters as of May 17 and football clubs will get the thrill of playing in front of their home fans.
Fans Make Everything Better
Not only will sporting fans be thrilled that they can once again see their clubs play again, but players are also excited that they will be playing in front of their fans again. Top sports stars have made no secret that the return of the fans is eagerly awaited. Fans can be noisy, loud and aggressive, but they are the lifeblood of any sport.
