| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport 16:06 - Dec 7 with 4930 views | KeithHaynes |
Swansea City has joined Wales’ leading sports clubs and venues in expressing their views regarding the potential return of fans to stadiums across the country in a letter to First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford. The Swans, along with fellow Welsh football clubs Cardiff City, Newport County, Wrexham and the FAW, collaborated with the Welsh Rugby Union, Ospreys, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Glamorgan Cricket Club, Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey, Chepstow and Ffos Las racecourses and Bangor On Dee Races
Open letter to Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales
7th December 2020
Dear First Minister
We are writing as executives and senior representatives of rugby, cricket, horse racing and football - the elite stadium sports in Wales.
Sport is a fundamental part of life in Wales. It puts our nation on the global stage and provides communities across Wales with a sense of belonging and identity. We form part of an an industry that employs thousands of people across the country, our contribution to the Welsh economy, employment and well-being is significant, but this is now at risk.
We urge Welsh Government to reconsider its approach to the socially distanced return of fans to our sports grounds by embracing the current Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) guidance known as “SGO2” and withdraw the variant “SG02W” which has been requested by Welsh Government.
On Monday 30th November, an in-person and virtual meeting was held at Cardiff City Stadium to consider the socially distanced return of fans to our stadia. It was attended by Welsh Government and representatives from WRU, FAW, the Welsh regions, Glamorgan cricket, horse racing and Welsh professional football clubs as well as SGSA, EFL and SAG. The meeting noted the publication of the SGSA guidance known as SG02, which is generally based on a social distance of one metre plus mitigations. The SGO2 guidance was issued following extensive consultation, it has underpinned the detailed planning for the return of fans to English stadia from 2nd December, and indeed has been widely acclaimed and shared by the SGSA with countries around the world.
Taking a more cautious approach, the Welsh Government asked the SGSA to prepare a version of SG02 based on a social distance of two metres. A draft (SG02W) has been received and circulated, but not published. We as a group of national governing bodies and senior clubs urge that this draft be withdrawn and that the Welsh government also embrace the highly regarded SG02 version and subsequently allow test events to be run using this guidance with events taking place as soon as possible.
We say this because while SG02 reduces expected attendances to between 25% and 35% of capacity depending on concourse densities and stadium layouts. The Welsh version would further reduce capacity to under 10% a level which in effect closes our businesses to the public indefinitely.
At the meeting, all sporting organisations were extremely disappointed by the lack of prior consultation and the entrenched position adopted by Welsh Government officials during the meeting left us full of concern. The situation is grave; the lack of a clear roadmap for the return of spectators in Wales poses the real risk of bankruptcy for our sports.
We manage highly regulated stadia, which are overseen by the SGSA who issue our licenses and Safety certificates in conjunction with our respective Safety Advisory Groups (which includes local authority, building control and the emergency services). We respect the need to return when it is safe to do so and acknowledge the need to follow science, yet highlight the reluctance of Welsh Government to look at a “managed and engineered solution” not present in the retail, construction, transport or hospitality sectors. SG02W will be a significant roadblock that does not offer us a pragmatic or sustainable solution and believe in order to move forward it is essential to have a transparent and collaborative approach with Welsh Government combined with Public Health
Wales. This will ensure as a collective, we are able to produce a clear roadmap for meaningful pilot test events and the safe return of fans to sporting grounds and events.
You will also be very conscious that Welsh sports fans are watching what is happening over the border. The clamour for the return of fans to supporting their clubs and national teams can only now continue to increase as the governing bodies and sports clubs suffer without direction or a viable road map in a time when their finances are crumbling before them.
For a nation that is small in size, Wales punches well above its weight in sporting terms; we want to work with Welsh Government to ensure the survival of our people, clubs, businesses and the future of sport in Wales.
So, as we stated at the beginning of this letter, we call on Welsh Government to withdraw SG02W and embrace the published SGSA guidance SG02, commit to transparency on the science and a collaborative approach between the sporting bodies, senior clubs, Public Health Wales and Welsh Government in order to provide a clear roadmap for meaningful pilot test events and the safe return of fans to sports grounds.
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| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 04:08 - Dec 10 with 1075 views | Whiterockin |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 19:38 - Dec 9 by Andy1300 |
It will always be the assembly to most people.
It’s a farcical attempt at government at best. |
The elections in May will be interesting. |  | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 11:53 - Dec 10 with 1029 views | Highjack |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 04:08 - Dec 10 by Whiterockin |
The elections in May will be interesting. |
Can you imagine having to go out and knock on the doors campaigning for labour and trying to defend this lot? You’d have to be a massive oddball. And probably a masochist as well. |  |
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| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 16:52 - Dec 10 with 997 views | Treforys_Jack |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 11:53 - Dec 10 by Highjack |
Can you imagine having to go out and knock on the doors campaigning for labour and trying to defend this lot? You’d have to be a massive oddball. And probably a masochist as well. |
Yep, its all a shambles to be fair. People are pretty thick mind, by the guidance has been half baked to say the least. |  | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 17:35 - Dec 10 with 984 views | YrAlarch |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 14:30 - Dec 9 by Lohengrin |
Certainly, in several languages. He writes excellently too, I’ve got a book by him that I picked up in the ‘90s that I still dip into regularly.
He does have one blind spot, he doesn’t appear to recognise the verb ‘tailoring’ in any language...
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Nope. He doesn't wear it well ... as Rod Stewart nearly said. |  | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 20:31 - Dec 10 with 950 views | Dr_Winston |
He's been an abject failure at everything he's put his hand to, but I do have a certain sympathy for Drakeford. It can't be easy being a hapless political placeman having to deal with a once in a century event.
Having said that, none of the individual leaders of the constituent parts of the UK have covered themselves with anything even remotely approaching glory, but it's taken some doing for Drakers to end up bottom of the table. |  |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
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| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 05:15 - Dec 11 with 888 views | Whiterockin |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 20:31 - Dec 10 by Dr_Winston |
He's been an abject failure at everything he's put his hand to, but I do have a certain sympathy for Drakeford. It can't be easy being a hapless political placeman having to deal with a once in a century event.
Having said that, none of the individual leaders of the constituent parts of the UK have covered themselves with anything even remotely approaching glory, but it's taken some doing for Drakers to end up bottom of the table. |
Every leader is dammed if they do dammed if they don't this year. But how much paying lip service to Starmer has hindered the Welsh cause. | | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 22:41 - Dec 14 with 764 views | TenbySwan |
The Welsh government have released this 4 tier system to be implemented from the 28/12.
It is widely expected that all of Wales will be Tier 4 very high risk. Tier 3 at the very least.
No spectators in stadia Tier 3 0r 4, and pilot events can take place in tier 2.
I can't see us being in Tier 2 before March, and only then if we are very lucky .
https://gov.wales/coronavirus-control-plan-alert-levels-wales |  | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 09:51 - Dec 15 with 697 views | felixstowe_jack |
Only four months later than England and Scotland. Quite a quick decision from dithering Drakeford. | |
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| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 10:03 - Dec 15 with 694 views | Whiterockin |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 09:51 - Dec 15 by felixstowe_jack |
Only four months later than England and Scotland. Quite a quick decision from dithering Drakeford. |
The English grounds are closing as sections of England move up a tier, we will shortly all be in the same position. I would rather we stayed closed and all open together next season, if need be. | | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 10:51 - Dec 15 with 678 views | Scotia |
It's the first time I've looked at the new Tier system.
So now spectators in stadiums and no alcohol served unless with a meal until Tier 1. That writes off this season and the hospitality industry. | | | |
| An open letter to Mark Drakeford from Welsh Sport on 12:34 - Dec 16 with 612 views | TenbySwan |
All of Wales in Tier 4 from the 28/12.
Just announced.
Only 2 households now for Christmas in Wales. | | | |
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