Northern Ireland v Austria

HOWWE WOULD ALL LOVE TO BE IN THE STANDS AGAIN… The unforeseen global disaster that is the Covid-19 pandemic has decimated football in a way not seen since the Second World War.

While it goes without saying that our first concern must be for public health, the impact of the pandemic on Northern Ireland football, both at domestic and international level, is also deeply concerning. One consequence, of course, has been the spectacle of empty stands. ‘Behind closed doors’ is a phrase most football fans dread. Northern Ireland fans will perhaps be more familiar with the term after the infamous game in Belgrade in March 2011. Many of us have been monitoring social media, keeping a watchful eye on the latest decisions coming from the UEFA Executive Committee, eager for some positive news telling us that fans will be allowed to return to stadia. My AONISC colleagues and I have been closely following developments elsewhere, reading about the steps which have been taken to manage the safe return of spectators to sporting events. We also participated in an online conference, organised by Football Supporters Europe, which allowed us to hear from other fans’ representatives from across the continent. Measures such as staggered arrival and departure times, colour-coded areas of the stadium, strict queue management and even the wearing of face coverings have become part and parcel of the ‘new’ football experience for fans in countries like Denmark and Germany. The allocation of match tickets is inevitably a thorny subject – after all, none of us want to miss our team playing and are disappointed if we miss out (memories of the initial ticket allocation for the Poland game at the Euros come flooding back for me!). How do you do it fairly? What is ‘fair’? The Irish FA were good enough to involve us in the conversation

around how this should happen for the remaining home matches this year. Initially I had hoped that every Campaign Card holder would be able to attend one of the two remaining Nations League home fixtures and all the names would then also be in the hat for the Euro 2020 Path B play-off final (hopefully still on course by the time you read this) to decide who would get a ‘golden ticket’ for the potential clash against Slovakia or the Republic of Ireland. Unfortunately, the rise in Covid-19 cases locally meant that the regulations weren’t eased to the point which would have allowed that initial thought to come to fruition. And so it was that we tried to come up with an alternative plan that would try to maximise the number of fans who could attend at least one match. This resulted in the ticket ballot and, fingers crossed, at least some fans have been able to attend tonight. Lawrie Sanchez once said that he wanted the team to score a goal, win a match and climb the rankings. Michael O’Neill allowed us to live our dream at Euro 2016. Right now? I’d settle for a seat in the stand, any stand, to watch us against any team. And ‘Dare to Dream’ again. Gary McAllister Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs

FOLLOW US AT @WGMac TheAmalgamation www.aonisc.co.uk

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www.irishfa.com