Scunthorpe United FC

I’m sure we’ve all seen the pictures of Bournemouth beach this last week looking more like Benidorm in high summer, and of course, Bournemouth wasn’t the only place.

We may have seen interviews with people who’d driven for hours to get there, stayed a little while and drove home. Why? I suppose it’s because they could but was it sensible? If they’d wanted fresh air, there would have been many places nearer their homes to go to. What’s the point of travelling a distance, staying a couple of hours and then going home?

Oh, of course, that’s what many football fans do every other Saturday, in normal times – travel the length and breadth of the country to watch 22 finely-tuned athletes chase a bag of wind. Certainly there’s more to it than that – pleasure gained (or not), tribal loyalty etc.

When will we be able to do that again? Not anytime soon – and it may be even longer if crowds of people keep flouting the rules and mixing together. Crowded beaches, illegal raves and parties, demonstrations and marches, even understandably crowds outside Anfield Stadium – all these could contribute to new “spikes” of the virus. The re-opening of pubs and restaurants on July 4th could bring similar effects.

Now I’m not wanting to be a killjoy, but I definitely don’t want to see an upsurge in Coronavirus cases, and the death and misery it could bring. So please enjoy yourselves, but take care not to put yourself and others at risk – and no, I won’t be going to Bournemouth for my holidays!

Rev Alan. Club Chaplain

clubchaplain@scunthorpe-united.co.uk