It's New Era As The Fans Return

At last NonLeague supporters were back to what they do best – and quickly adapted to the new way of watching matches.

- David Richardson

The limited crowd restrictions meant not all fans could make a return, some may not have felt comfortable in the current climate, but those who did ensured a promising first weekend of action.

Clubs have been eagerly awaiting the green light from the DCMS, which arrived this week, and then they had to work quickly to make sure Covid regulations were being adhered to.

Rectory Meadows, home of Combined Counties Premier Division side Hanworth Villa, was no exception.

Loyal chairman Gary Brunning and club secretary Dave Brown, with their willing band of committee members, ensured no stone was left unturned in hosting their pre-season friendly with Woking yesterday.

Step 5 clubs are limited to crowds of 150 in the first stage, rising to 300 from next month. For the Millers, this usually wouldn’t be a problem but the well-supported National League Cards promised to take it to closer to the cap.

Together

Both clubs worked together to ensure supporters were aware of the capacity limit and how to secure tickets in advance.

Hanworth encouraged fans to email the club to reserve their place and issued warnings that entry may be refused should capacity be met, which it was.

On arrival, club officials, in their smart Hanworth polos, took down name, address and contact numbers as part of Test and Trace efforts while also conducting temperature tests.