Although it’s often stated that football isn’t anything without the fans, they invariably seem to be the last people to be consulted through any decision making process, and Man City now have genuine cause to be concerned.
Supporters of the treble winners might normally have been excited at the prospect of playing at Wembley once more, at the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
Though the Community Shield is ostensibly seen as a friendly it does, nevertheless, give the Cityzens the opportunity of another piece of silverware.
It’s also a chance for many more fans that perhaps were able to get tickets to the FA Cup final to see their side at the iconic stadium.
An original 5.30pm kick-off to this year’s showpiece was quickly changed to 4pm, however, one City supporters group don’t believe that this goes far enough bearing in mind the distance most will have to travel.
“We repeat our request to the FA and to ITV to help more fans attend the game by bringing the kick-off time to 3pm,” a statement released by 1894 group, and republished in The Independent said.
“In the eyes of many fans, the very quick decision to move the game from 5.30pm to 4pm and hastily-arranged PR releases from the FA came across as them doing the bare minimum and expecting a round of applause for the decision.
“The subsequent statement from the FA said 4pm was agreed after consultation with the police, the local council and the broadcaster (ITV). However, the most important stakeholder was not consulted… the fans!”
Time and time again kick-offs are moved for the benefit of broadcasters either in the UK or around the world with little thought given to how some supporters will be able to get to and from the games.
With train strikes causing any number of problems at present, at least a 3pm kick off for this season’s Community Shield would give fans enough time to get home at a reasonable hour.