Nostalgia is great, but sport also needs new audiences

Richard Shaw CEO SAPCA

Most football fans, including me, have a high threshold of nostalgia. It’s part of a fan’s DNA and what keeps us so tribalistic and loyal to our team. We aren’t keen on change and while we understand players and managers move, the structure of the club – badges, colours and grounds – remain constant. The mockery of the new is inbuilt and love of the established comes as standard. Established, however, doesn’t always mean old. Recent examples include Minnesota United mocking the newbies of Inter Miami – despite themselves only being founded in 2015 – and Newcastle United fans being against changing their current badge, despite it only being in use since 1988.

I’ve been to Goodison Park quite a few times to watch both my teams Aston Villa and Tamworth (and yes, I know it’s frowned upon to have two teams but, in case you hadn’t guessed, the whole of the article is about challenging conventions, so at least I’m consistent). If I were an Evertonian, I would absolutely love the place. It’s everything I like in a stadium – next to terraced houses, fans are close to the pitch and it’s bursting with history. In reality, what I like is the idea of Goodison, not the actual experience it offers. There are pillars that obstruct the view of the pitch, concourses that are too small to stand in and the place suffers from huge transport difficulties. I love Goodison – apart from the days that I need to visit the place.

Next season, the men’s team will move to their new 52,000-capacity, modern stadium, bringing more seats and a better experience for fans. There is a tendency for all operators to be blinded by nostalgia and the love of the existing – but sport’s lifeblood is attracting new people and to be nostalgic about their things.

A love of the old doesn’t mean a clash with the new, just that we can embrace both

A love of the old doesn’t mean a clash with the new, just that we can embrace both. It might be time to take off the rose-tinted glasses (or rather, the royal blue ones) and welcome change.