Cheltenham Town Ladies goalkeeper coach Dene Field has revealed that the club are doing online bingo in order to keep the club afloat.
The University of Gloucestershire student plays for the men’s university team but has seen the biggest hit come to the town’s women’s team.
“We’ve had to think outside the box and do online bingo and competitions to raise money and that’s just one example of lockdown has affected us as a club.”
The Robin’s women play in the Women’s National League Division 1 South-West and are deemed non-elite, meaning that everything has to stop at the club. Something that has halted an impressive start to the season.
“We were intro the second round of the FA cup and doing quite well in the league so everything stopping has effected a lot of people including all the coaches and players.”
Field also reflected upon how hard the club had been struck financially. With tier restrictions limiting fans even when they were allowed in, the club has been struggling.
“We’ve also had the effects of no crowds and no income at games, especially home games when there were tier restrictions and lockdown restrictions on fans.
“For a smaller club that’s massive because income is one of the most important things for keeping the club alive.”
It isn’t limiting the staff from enhancing the team’s chances of gaining promotion though. Sitting just five points off the top of the table, the coaches are still busy studying their opponents where possible.
“We’re dealing with it through Zoom calls and opposition analysis and performance analysis. I think that we all do as much of that as we can until returning back to play.”
After spending almost a year in lockdown, many have continually turned to Zoom calls for family calls, work meetings and online lectures. The world of sport has also made use of the technology as Field highlighted.
His degree, in sport and exercise sciences is something that he will hope can aid his team when they do get out onto the pitch again.
If you, or anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues due to Covid-19, please use these free hotlines for advice.
CALM:
Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
Website: www.thecalmzone.net
Mind:
Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)
Website: www.mind.org.uk
Samaritans:
Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline)
Website: www.samaritans.org.uk
