Following our announcement last week of our on-going plans to have reduced capacity attendances at forthcoming matching at the start of the 2020/21 season, a number of supporters have raised questions to the Club and our SLO’s Mike Davis and Roger Groves which we have all responded to, however we felt it would be beneficial to show these questions with the answers given plus some others which may be relevant for our supporters in an effort to show transparency for everyone. All of our responses are based on the Social Distancing restrictions currently in place as of 28th August 2020.
Will the normal coach services from outlying areas and town centre/Shirehall shuttle bus be available as normal?
We have been in touch with some of the normal supporters coaches which travel to home games and will continue to support them with access and parking etc. Obviously anyone travelling in coaches would require to social distance and wear a face mask as per government guidelines. In relation to the normal town centre/Shirehall coach we are hoping to have this operational as normal again subject to social distancing and the wearing of facemasks on the coach.
What are the chances of the first League One home match v Northampton Town on 19th September being able to be used as a pilot for reduced capacity attendances?
The EFL are in regular contact with government and relevant stakeholders with the hope that all Football Clubs can pilot a home game either on the weekend of 19th or 26th September with reduced capacity. They are still waiting on confirmation that these can go ahead which would allow us to have Season Ticket holders in for the first league match. All of our efforts are concentrated on having everything in place so that if the green light is given we are ready to admit fans.
Will the ticket office be open for Season Ticket holders to come and get their ticket(s)?
Yes the Ticket office will open however this may be on reduced hours to save costs for the Club and also we hope that as many as possible can select tickets online as with social distancing guidelines it is likely we will only be able to open two windows so where possible online would ease any queues and delay in getting your tickets.
I am a CAT ‘A” season ticket holder will I be able to get priority for CAT ‘A” seats that are available?
We have been in discussions with Ticketmaster to try and accommodate this as best we can. It would be possible to restrict certain CAT ‘A” blocks only to CAT ‘A” season ticket holders on a first served basis but due to the restricted number of seats in each Block it may not be possible to satisfy every CAT “A” season ticket holder however we will do all we can to assist.
What is the maximum bubble size you intend allowing for?
We have looked at this closely on our ST holder database and have decided to make the maximum bubble size 5 people which we will have a limited number, as the most available seats will be single seats and pairs. We appreciate that there may be groups of more than 5 but we hope that by accommodating up to 5 then at worst families of season ticket holders who normally come in bubbles of more than 5 will understand we cant help every scenario but by offering larger bubbles as an option people can hopefully still be with family members and close by others.
The government guidelines allow two households to meet outside can we sit together at the match?
No. The government guidelines allow 2 households to meet however they are still required to social distance and therefore cannot sit together. However if someone living alone from another household but is in your extended social bubble would be allowed to sit with you.
Do children also require where possible to wear masks?
We are treating this the same as guidelines for shops whereby it is not compulsory for children aged under 11 to wear facemasks and this would be at the parents/guardian discretion. However we hope most adults etc will follow the guidance and wear facemasks to games to ensure to minimise any potential spread and also to keep all of our supporters safe.
Why is singing not allowed?
There is a concern that singing could be the biggest chance of spread of infection of COVID-19 at football matches therefore the guidelines which we are working to require Clubs to discourage singing to minimise spread of the disease
What are the chances of being able to go to any away matches this season?
At present most Clubs will likely be the same as ourselves and require every stand and available seat to accommodate season ticket holders rather than some missing out and having away fans. However there could be some stadiums which can satisfy all their season ticket holders and still have available space for visiting fans. At present this is unknown. Looking to the future we all hope that the pandemic continues to be beaten and over time guidance is relaxed slowly to be able to get all supporters back into stadiums including away fans however from STFC’s point of view we do not see us allowing any away fans until such times as we are back at full capacity.
Will season ticket holders who prefer not to come to home league matches be offered a free streaming pass and how would I get this?
Yes. Any season ticket holder who prefers to have a streaming pass free of charge rather than come to any game should contact the Club at info@shrewsburytown.co.uk . Thereafter any who prefer this option will be emailed a unique code to give them a free live stream of the home League matches.
Will non season ticket holders be able to pay for live streams of STFC matches home and away in the UK?
Yes all matches will be available to purchase at £10 via ifollow both in the UK and across the world whilst Clubs cannot have full capacity stadiums.
Does the money from purchasing streaming passes at £10 per match come to STFC?
For home matches all Shrewsbury Town fans buying a match, the income comes to ourselves (less VAT etc) and the agreement that is in place for away fans buying match passes is that the home club will also receive the revenue from away sales in lieu of how many away supporters would normally attend. Eg If Portsmouth brought 1,500 fans to Shrewsbury last season then for Shrewsbury v Portsmouth the first 1,500 streams Portsmouth fans purchase this revenue would come to STFC and any more sales than 1,500 would go to Portsmouth FC and vice versa for the away fixture at Portsmouth.