MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 23:11:42| >> :120:41463:41463:

Rotherham chairman bemoans Government tier system despite returning fans

Tony Stewart admits Monday's announcement by the Government might be "good news for a few and not for a lot".

Rotherham chairman Tony Stewart has welcomed the decision to allow a limited number of fans back into stadiums in lower-risk areas.

But Stewart feels the Government's plans for a return to a regionalised tier system from December 2 to combat the spread of coronavirus will be "good news for a few and not for a lot".

"When Rotherham was in tier three we were hitting the 500 people infected in 100,000 and we've come down about 50 per cent," Stewart told the PA news agency.

Rotherham are gearing for the return of supporters at New York Stadium
Rotherham are gearing for the return of supporters at New York Stadium (Nigel French/PA)

"So if you had to judge it today, I don't know if that's tier one or tier two, I don't know what category.

"It is good news, but it depends what tier we're in. It might be good news for a few and not for a lot."

Stewart said fans will be "doing backward somersaults" at the prospect of returning to watch matches and that the revenue for clubs could not come too soon.

"Some will be doing backwards somersaults and now there will be a nice fight to be one of the 2,000 or whatever it is we can get in there," he said.

"We'll have to create some form of lottery and prioritise our long-time season-ticket holders, that's what we're looking at now.

"We've been starved of funds. We're putting a show on, unlike the theatres, who haven't put a show on and have still been compensated.

"We've put a show on, no fans and not been compensated. Any club would welcome any revenue because it's not just about bums on seats.

"There's obviously programmes, hospitality and things like that and any revenue for any football club is a big deal."

Stewart, whose club were promoted back to the Sky Bet Championship last season, said getting fans back into the stadium would provide the community with a major boost.

"Match day is an occasion," he added. "It's not just a game, it's a gathering of people in the town. It lifts the town. You've got the restaurants, the cafes, the snack bars, etc.

"Match day gives everybody a lift. It's great for the town and we've all missed the heckle of fans in the stadium."

Harrogate, promoted to the English Football League for the first time in August, described Monday's announcement as "a bright day for supporters".

The club's managing director Garry Plant said: "We have a home match against Forest Green on December 5 and so we are already reviewing the detail of the announcement and are in discussions with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, North Yorkshire Safety Advisory Group and Harrogate Borough Council on how we make this happen.

"We will advise the number of supporters that we will be able to welcome back, which will be subject to social distancing calculations and how we arrive at which supporters will be offered a place."

ID:423572: cacheID:423572:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6852:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Simon Weaver pictured in November 2019
Read Next:
Simon Weaver lavishes praise on Harrogate Town forward Jack Muldoon
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Mansfield TownMansfield392013679374273
2Stockport CountyStockport382011775403571
3Wrexham392010970482270
4MK Dons40207136354967
5Crewe AlexandraCrewe3918111067551265
6BarrowBarrow381713853401364
7Crawley TownCrawley38185155754359
8Gillingham40178153947-859
9AFC Wimbledon4015131253421158
10Walsall381511125752556
11Newport CountyNewport39167165859-155
12Morecambe39159155968-954
13Harrogate TownHarrogate39159154655-954
14Notts County39156187674251
15Tranmere RoversTranmere40155205957250
16Accrington StanleyAccrington39148175257-550
17Bradford CityBradford391311154653-750
18Doncaster RoversDoncaster38147175162-1149
19Salford City401211176073-1347
20Swindon TownSwindon391111176570-544
21Grimsby Town38815154965-1639
22Colchester UnitedColchester37810194766-1934
23Sutton UnitedSutton40712214571-2633
24Forest Green RoversForest Green3989223865-2733


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!