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for players and staff, 48 hours prior to any fixture. A study undertaken by
Cognisant Research with 13 Western League players around Christmas
2021, highlighted the importance of the managers role in players matchday
routines and whilst Club Chairman and Covid Officers can have important
parts to play, it’s essential for all three to be working together to reinforce
the importance in adhering to matchday Covid protocols, designed to keep
players safe.

Football is no different to any other aspect of society in that spectators and
participants demonstrate a spectrum of different attitudes towards Covid,
from genuine concern about the impact of the virus to a belief that it simply
nothing to worry about. That is why it’s important influencers like Club
Officials, coaches and senior players to be proactive in ensuring that
everyone in the game is behaving responsibly. One of the key challenges
identified by the Cognisant study was the contradictory nature of some of
the Governments Covid advice. The idea that you can mark a player at a
corner, but not share a car with them after the game, or limit who goes into
a changing room, only to share a crowded bar or nightclub with the very
same teammates.

That is why it’s important to remember that someone else is making these
rules and the FA and the Clubs are doing their best to enforce them. Clubs
looking to maintain Covid protocols should facilitate an open discussion on
the measures they wish to maintain, allowing players to discuss what they
consider to be reasonable and providing them with an opportunity to buy-in
to a common approach, even if they may have personal reservations
concerning their validity.

The future of the 2021/22 football season still hangs in the balance, with
concerns about a winter surge, not to mention any fixture disruption caused
by the British weather. We can all do our bit to help minimise the spread of
the virus and football is no different. Spectators, coaches and players all
have a part to play in keeping our beautiful going each week, this is a
challenge that unites us all, but we will only succeed if we work together.