Ian Mather CEO We went over 20 years without playing a league game against Rotherham and now we play them for the second time in five weeks! In any event, it is great to welcome all from South Yorkshire to the Abbey. Our fans enjoyed a great away day at the excellent New York Stadium. The Abbey is a bit different with a charm of its own. As we approach Christmas we all would have hoped that Covid risks would be much reduced from last year. That we would be free from restrictions and looking forward to a much more normal festive period and New Year. Sadly, this is not the case and Omicron seems determined to spoil the party. Following discussions with our Safety Advisory Group and Public Health on Wednesday this week we are going to adopt the Covid Passport system that applies to larger venues, on a voluntary basis. As set out on our website and social media channels the new restrictions include: *Covid Passports will be required for all attending the game. Random checks will be made. This voluntary use of the Covid Passport will be kept under review. *Face coverings will be required in all internal areas when not eating or drinking. They will not be required outside. Public Health explained that Cambridgeshire is a high area of infection and has been given Enhanced Response Area status vital to protect NHS and vital services Cambridgeshire County Council. We ask all those visiting, including our staff, to abide by these changes. We all have our role to play in containing the transmission of Covid. If we look back to last year we can see what might happen if we don’t: Measures could range from reduced access to bars/ hospitality areas to socially distanced crowds and a limit on our crowd of 2,000. We could have a ban on away travel – a horrible thought as we plan our trips up to Newcastle. Ultimately we could be playing behind closed doors. Personally, I think we have a good chance of avoiding these backward steps. To do so will
require a collective effort from everyone. Last year we were on a learning curve. We now know the script. Let’s stick to it. On a brighter note, it was great to see and hear our 1,700 fans at Charlton. Ok, we lost but all could see the team gave it everything. It could have been different. We saw an entertaining game and it was a great day out. This season our away support has been brilliant. Hopefully we will have an even bigger following at St James’. It is the FA Cup and anything could happen… This is our last game before Christmas and, on behalf of our club, I wish everyone a happy and safe time over the holiday period. For now, we face Rotherham. They are very good but we have shown we can be very good as well. Enjoy the game. ■ www.cambridge-united.co.uk
7