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Wanderers fans have been told they will almost certainly be shut out of the UniBol for the rest of this season – IF it restarts as planned.
The EFL still intend to complete the campaign, which has 10 games left to run for Bolton, but are gearing up to do so behind closed doors.
League chairman Rick Parry has assured supporters that they will have the opportunity to watch games online, either via the existing iFollow platform or a club-operated streaming service.
Wanderers are already discussing what can be done for season ticket holders, who stand to miss five home games – against Doncaster Rovers, Peterborough United, Lincoln City, Gillingham and Rotherham United – if all matches are played to empty stadia.
The club admitted on Thursday that planning ahead was virtually impossible while the EFL had no firm return date and attention is currently fixed on thrashing out a deal with the playing squad to reduce wage expenditure in the short-term.
But Parry’s insistence that the show will go on has been met with a mixed reaction from fans, who question whether safety is being compromised.
The Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust issued a response to Parry’s open letter, asking the league: “Will all players, backroom staff and officials need testing on a regular basis to allow them to compete in what is, after all, a contact game?
“Any stadium will require some sort of skeleton staff in order to play games behind closed doors – medical staff, security, ball boys/girls, ground-staff, maintenance, etc.
“After the game all those people will go back to their families – or will they?
“What about those football supporters who do not have access to the internet to view games online, if that is the short-term intention? There are still supporters out there in that position.
“It is fully accepted that Parry is not advocating an immediate resumption behind closed doors and that if and when games do resume, the above considerations will be fully address. It is certainly hoped so.”
Source
The EFL still intend to complete the campaign, which has 10 games left to run for Bolton, but are gearing up to do so behind closed doors.
League chairman Rick Parry has assured supporters that they will have the opportunity to watch games online, either via the existing iFollow platform or a club-operated streaming service.
Wanderers are already discussing what can be done for season ticket holders, who stand to miss five home games – against Doncaster Rovers, Peterborough United, Lincoln City, Gillingham and Rotherham United – if all matches are played to empty stadia.
The club admitted on Thursday that planning ahead was virtually impossible while the EFL had no firm return date and attention is currently fixed on thrashing out a deal with the playing squad to reduce wage expenditure in the short-term.
But Parry’s insistence that the show will go on has been met with a mixed reaction from fans, who question whether safety is being compromised.
The Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust issued a response to Parry’s open letter, asking the league: “Will all players, backroom staff and officials need testing on a regular basis to allow them to compete in what is, after all, a contact game?
“Any stadium will require some sort of skeleton staff in order to play games behind closed doors – medical staff, security, ball boys/girls, ground-staff, maintenance, etc.
“After the game all those people will go back to their families – or will they?
“What about those football supporters who do not have access to the internet to view games online, if that is the short-term intention? There are still supporters out there in that position.
“It is fully accepted that Parry is not advocating an immediate resumption behind closed doors and that if and when games do resume, the above considerations will be fully address. It is certainly hoped so.”
Source