With the remaining Premier League fixtures due to be played behind closed doors for this season, football clubs will be hoping supporters return next season by renewing their season tickets but it might not be that simple.
Even with the Government furlough scheme money is likely to tight within families with some economists predicting the worst recession or depression for over three hundred years yet to come.
Added to the problem of lack of family disposable income is a possible medical factor which could equally keep crowds away from the London Stadium.
Many supporters especially those with underlying medical conditions or the elderly could avoid crowds until a vaccine is widely available.
West Ham have 54,000 season ticket holders and many may not renew for one or both of the above reasons.
This would have a further devasting financial effect for West Ham and to their cash flow with £23.5m of season ticket money usually banked in May.
The Hammers would no be alone and we could see attendance numbers drop across the Premier League with teams playing to half-empty stadia.
The Premier League may have to learn to live within its means,
Still they persist in the fiction that this season will, in some form, be played out – it won’t be. The problems & logistics are so simply overwhelming. Having said that, there may be one possibility of completing the season & that would be that when, or if, we beat this virus, we could then play out the remaining games. But, that would probably be next year. Then we would lose next season; or play some sort of catch up over the next 2 or 3 years.
At last a little bit of realisation. I cannot believe all the talk of big money transfers. There will be no big money transfers, or transfers for that matter for a very long time. Loans and swaps, yes, but I cant see any transfers for the foreseeable future. Firstly clubs don’t know where their next penny is coming from or when. Clubs may yet have to hand back TV money that has already been paid and spent. Clubs face no gate receipts for the foreseeable future, no catering income, hospitality or any other income. They will all struggle to stay in business. So why the ridiculous talk of biog money transfers. Most Arsenal players have just agreed a pay cut. What would those players say if Arsenal then went out and made a big money signing on big wages. And that is the situation for most clubs, big and small. Any talk of transfers, is a waste of time. It just is not going to happen.
The competition this year is corrupted by the fact the season has had such a long interruption. To restart now and push fixtures through to get the competition completed will produce a meaningless result and says more about greed than a desire for a fair outcome to the competition.
This alone will make me consider if I really want to renew my Season Ticket, never mind the other factors. I have to accept that football is more business than sport; I just don’t need to have my nose rubbed in it.
I am worried that there will be no big crowd events till at least next year so where this will leave all sports is a big question as most rely on fans for their income and the lower leagues and even smaller sports this will probably kill them off