Another good result for the nanny state
Saturday, January 9, 2010 It's not much of a Saturday when most of the day's football has been postponed because of the weather. It wasn't like this in my day blah blah blah. But it's true. People used to bust a gut to make sure matches were played, whatever the conditions.
And supporters had the choice of whether or not they wanted to go. I've slipped and slided to many a match in the past. If I fell over and hurt myself I would take full responsibility for it. No-one forced me to give up the comfort of my armchair (or, as a student, my bed) and a warm fire.
But I can't remember ever coming to grief. The only time I remember things getting a bit hairy was when I was a student at Aberdeen and a friend and I tried to drive to Dundee for a midweek match in, I think, February.
North of Stonehaven it started to snow quite heavily. We were in a long line of traffic that slowed to a crawl as conditions got worse. Eventually it became obvious that we weren't going to make the kick off. In fact, we weren't going to make the match at all. So we gave up, turned round, and drove back to Aberdeen.
The game, meanwhile, went ahead. (We listened to it on the radio. United won 3-0 and we celebrated in a pub near the university in Old Aberdeen.) No-one suggested that because it was difficult for some people to travel to the match it should be postponed.
Today most of the top clubs in England and Scotland have undersoil heating so unless there is a late snowstorm or melting snow floods the ground, the pitch itself is unlikely to be a problem.
Nor is ice on the terraces because, in many grounds, the old-style terraces that we used to stand on no longer exist. They have been replaced by covered all-seater stands with plastic seats.
No, the only reason they are postponing matches left, right and centre is because it is said to be too dangerous for supporters outside the ground or en route.
I'm sorry, but if I choose to go to a football match - or any other event - I'll make my own risk assessment. I don't need the state, or the football authorities, or the football club, to make that decision for me.
The club and the football authorities should be concerned with two things: making sure that the pitch and the stadium are safe for players and spectators. What happens outside the ground or further afield has nothing to do with them unless the conditions are so bad that the visiting team and officials can't get to the game - but if they can, so too can the supporters, if they choose.
Thankfully some people within football have spoken out. In the London Evening Standard yesterday Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger referred to a "culture of fear":
“If one of 60,000 people has an accident, you feel very guilty and nobody accepts any more that the slightest insecurity could exist in our society and that's why the games are postponed when there is no real need for it."
Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool player and now a BBC pundit makes a similar point in the Daily Mirror:
"Sadly, gone are the days of orange balls and playing in snow. I’ve played in far worse conditions than we’ve seen at grounds which have seen postponements.
"But, in fairness, it’s not down to the grounds or state of the pitch largely. It’s all about safety certificates, transport and stewards. People are far too politically correct these days on this.
"Are you honestly telling me that when those games are called off the same fans won’t be diverted to shopping centres?
"How do they get from the car to the shops? Exactly the same way they get from stations to the football grounds. We live in a nanny state."
They are right, of course. But what can we do about it?
In the meantime I've got the choice of driving my son 20 miles to Peterborough today in icy conditions for indoor cricket training. No-one has suggested that the session should be cancelled and he wouldn't miss it for the world.
Looking at the conditions, and using my experience (I am 50, for God's sake), I'll risk it. How long, though, before even small decisions like that are taken out of our hands?
Reader Comments (7)
Yes, it's all changed since I was playing. When I was playing I was known for my slide tackle, even on 4 inches of permafrost. These days I would guess I would be penalised for dangerous play, and sent to get my thigh bandaged as invariably a gash of 6 inches would result.
As someone who also used top play competitive rugby union, no match was complete with an obligatory fisticuffs session on the opposition's 22 metre line and a good chat in the bar with your sparring partner who got the best punch in.
Helmets in cricket, that is why you have a bat for, crying out loud. When I used to play cricket 3rd man and long leg were my favourite fielding postions as I could have a quick puff in between overs.
How do you get to all the Open supermarkets,by cable car? Anyway, what healthy ,normal ,reasonably intelligent,sensible red blooded British male
goes to a professinal football match these days.
Aethalstaen
Follow the money.
Oh dear Simon - its the same with netball - where will it all end I ask myself - in tears?
The big freeze we are going through reminds me of the universal mind freeze that Nanny has subjected us all to for the past decade.
We are all working to rule now and afraid to wipe our arse unless Nanny tells us its safe to do so.
Hense, if Nanny tells us its not safe to drive and to stay indoors, we do just that, while the country and the economy grinds to a halt.
And anyone that disobeys this rule is treated like a kamakazi smoker.
When you hear people asking questions about whether they would be liable for a fine if they cleared their driveways of snow and someone slipped on it, one realises that the brainwashing is complete.
Guess we all best start saving up now for our carbon taxes for when Nanny tells us that this big freeze is the cause of global warming!
Whilst everyone is bombarded with "do not drive unless you really have to" from the media, I just had a wonderful motorway journey from Wiltshire to Nottingham today without a hitch - 2 hours 20 minutes, not bad eh? Yes, there were a few snow flurries, but nothing to worry about and the motorways were well-treated.
As a nation, we are becoming paralysed by the health and safety industry, ambulance-chasing lawyers and state nannyism.
Bill, I absolutely agree. I currently work through agencies as a driver and the only work I could get last week was multi-drop which I had never done before. My first day (Wednesday) was just one drop from Gloucestershire to Okehampton in Devon. Until reaching Devon the motorways were not too good, only one lane, in the main. Devon had it cracked though with gritters working in pairs and with snow plows on the front too, so they tackled all 2 or 3 lanes of motorways and dual carriageways, very effectively in one sweep.
The next 2 days I was around Leicestershire and then Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. You really can tell the differences between the councils and their efficiency in road clearance during these times, but I still got there, did all the deliveries and got back, safely and in one piece.
Ann, in 1982 when I was running an off licence and we had around 3 to 4 feet of snow overnight the company rang us to say 'Do not clear the pathway to the shop, we could be sued.' So this is one issue that has been going on for many years now, sadly!
It is possibly the same reason people are more reluctant to help out others, especially at times like these, in case something goes wrong and they are sued! What a sad, sad state to be in.