[i"We don't need to jab everyone to end worst of pandemic.There are 12 million over-65s. Once significant numbers are vaccinated, the risk of the NHS being overwhelmed disappears and the high number of excess deaths being seen across the population dwindles.How long will that take? Well, GPs alone managed to vaccinate the over-65 population against flu in a little over two months this autumn - 77% came forward for the jab.

The flu jab is given in only one dose, but doctors believe it should be perfectly possible to finish immunisation for every person over 65 who is willing to have the vaccine by the end of March, availability permitting.That would then trigger - or at least give the option of triggering - a major relaxation of restrictions.

It is what the UK government's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty referred to as "de-risking" His point was that we could quickly reach a situation at which the level of death and illness caused by Covid was at a level society could "tolerate" - just as we tolerate 7,000 to 20,000 people dying from flu every year".[/i

You are right in what you say Wrenners, but they aren't going to do this as the shut down economy is starting to cause more misery and medical problems than covid . Going to the soccer or rugby may be at your own risk, if you don't qualify for the jab in January/February. A risk will remain you are right, but it wlll become a personal risk....

I suppose one can attend many games and "avoid the crowds" by not getting caught up in queues, and standing in quiet parts of grounds etc. The keepmoat in Doncaster will be ideal for watching live RL March onwards?? Just avoid any queue (I guess grounds will insist on 2M spaces for queues?) Go into Belle Vue after KO through the late gate and stand on your own? Wait for the crowd to leave before leaving yourself etc.....Or wait for the summer?

As a side note concerning vaccinations, my Mams next door neighbour has been vaccinated ( 80yrs + ) & while there they offered the vaccination to her daughter "while you are here" as many patients are not turning up for appointments & the doses are going to waste !

You would think that, once fans are permitted to attend games, S/T holders will gain priority, perhaps through a ballot system and that slowly, numbers being allowed to attend will increase.
I take your point on minimising personal risk but, government guidelines and what clubs are allowed to do will govern who may and may not attend.
"We" may even end up having to show some kind of vaccination certificate, which could prove mighty interesting.

Lets just hope things improve rapidly and we can get back to watching the game "in the flesh" and that kids can play the game we all love.
Persuading parents that their kids are ok to play a close contact sport will need some clever work.
Participation numbers are going to take a huge hit in the short term, with kids more likely to be encouraged into taking part in other sports.
Anyway, lets hope that the season gets going and is in full swing, in front of paying fans just as soon as possible.

Is there any likelihood of the Championship games being televised for the masses or will things be restricted to S/T holders ?

Matches the idea there's a 70% take up rate Ste....

Tough one that, the games are there for SKY to show as the current contract pays for them....But they said during the negotiations they were not interested in Championship.

By the 1st April only one league game will have taken place, the Challenge Cup and 1895 Cup are going to be in played in March.

My bad, I should have taken more note of the fixture schedule, although the Championship is due to kick off 27/28 Feb ?

It matters not, which fixtures are played. Without paying spectators coming through the turnstiles, clubs incur cost without revenue, which is going to add to the financial pain.

Everything swings on when and how many, fans are allowed to attend.

It does.

And in answer to the governments projected timetable for innoculations many independent experts are saying March is pretty much wishful thinking for everyone to have had the jab plus it probably needs two jabs to be fully safe.

I think you win this one, little gate income 2021 and no TV income 2022 onwards

So which Championship clubs do you think will be at the starting gate 2022??

IF significant numbers of fans cant attend and more importantly, pay to attend games and without any funding for 2020, there may be very few Championship and League 1 clubs at the starting line in 2022.
Wages are the biggest single cost to most club and they will either have to get very "creative" with their revenue streams or go to part time.
Only those with plenty of cash behind them will continue, unless there is some change to dual reg, which may allow them to use SL "squad" players, which may see the Championship and league 1 clubs becoming more like feeder clubs.
Perhaps we will see more "partnerships" developing between those in the top flight and those lower down the pecking order.
Maybe the time has come to return to "franchising" in a slightly larger top flight, with the inclusion of Bradford, York, Newcastle etc. However, I really cant see any of the bigger clubs agreeing to a smaller slice of the Sky monies.
There could be a real shake up before the start of next season.

It’s clear that the vaccinations are in progress. The drugs companies are stating 2M vaccines will be available weekly with the NHS stating they can cater for that. It’s all down to if those numbers can be increased.

Im assuming nothing changes and we KO the season as planned.

The KO isn't in too much doubt, it's the likelihood of spectators being allowed in and the effect that no spectators may have on club finances that is the concern.

Not sure that's the case tbh.

Full time pros that are part of controlled bubbles and tested regularly can carry on.

Not sure that works for semi pro players that have day jobs to go to. Dependant on what's decided by the government in mid Feb I reckon we're done for.

Plus, as wrencat says there are the finances to think about - especially with furlough being an option for covering a big chunk of player wages.

Elite sports not covering Champ/L1. All below SL are suspended until 15th January.

Yep, I bet it's Easter before we see any action.

40 positives in the latest round of testing in the premier League. Don't think RL can work in any meaningful way until that kind of level subsides, fans or no fans

Champ/lg1 clubs have now been ordered to stop all pre-season training by rfl - they're going to make a decision over the next fortnight.

Given the legislation that came into law this morning states restrictions are to run up until the 31st March I think we can safely say there will be no RL below Superduperleague level before Easter weekend.

There's now an online vaccine calculator. The fit over 50's may not get vaccinated until May, those younger - say 40 - are down for the first vaccination around August. The second vaccinations are several weeks after that.

People are different in their outlook - some may be happy to stand in the open air at Mount Pleasant without any vaccinations, others may not wish to go to a game until 2022 and it's all fully done.

But this aside, the Championships are still on a SKY deal that paid over £16,000,000 in a five year contract. The money was to help clubs compete in the race to the middle eights and then the Million ££ game. That baloney was pulled by the Superleague clubs, but as far as I know the money is still being paid to the Championship clubs. So if the Championships don't play, there is plenty of scope to just mothball things using the SKY money. Maybe even furlough IF it extends past the part time players first jobs. Maybe contracts are null and void if games aren't played so I don't see a wholesale ruination in the Championships....... Not on the Covid issue

The question then remains what the 2022 set up will mean to the Championships. The SL clubs looked to create a two times 10 clubs Superleague not that long ago. That cast aside seventeen clubs. I would guess any second attempt 2022 for SL to control the top of the game beyond just SL may see them invite 2x12 clubs to come under their wing......

We have what? 37 clubs so if anything threatens clubs in the Championships as they now stand, it isn't Covid...................

You seem to have changed from believing what you read in the English mainstream media,and a doctor who confided in you,outside of a surgery, presumably,to returning to your usual modus operandi of presenting fantasy and conjecture wrapped up as the truth.

What threatened Championship clubs happened before Covid 19 appeared on the scene.That remains.Covid 19 is more of a danger to the running,and continuation,of certain Super League clubs.

and the online calculator says 2022 for some people.

The vaccination situation is very fluid with things changing on a daily basis. I wouldn't give any credence to these online vaccination calculators.

I can't see non elite RL beginning before the end of March unfortunately.

You must be new around here. The rest of us knew to ignore his claims as make believe 18 months ago

Your not suggesting we will all be vaccinated by the end of March are you?

Fax will have the slight advantage that Town have been streaming games from the Conference for 3months or so now. I would assume that any intra-code rivalry will be buried in these uncertain times and information exchanged.

Neither can Kear in the T&A interview.