Editorial Extra
An update on recent events
Since GT100 was published on 1 March 2020 a lot has changed. Within a fortnight of that
date most football fixtures had been postponed indefinitely and not long after we all began
to get familiar with new terms such as ‘social distancing’. On 23 March the UK government
introduced a lockdown that stopped people leaving home other than for essential
reasons. Of course, all this has been necessary in the face of a global pandemic the
likes of which none of us has ever experienced. With thousands of people losing their
lives and many more needing treatment, there is no question that pretty much everything
else in life has to play second fiddle, including football. The need to channel the nation’s
efforts into caring for those afflicted by this terrible virus has made us all even more
aware of the fantastic job the NHS and other key workers do, but it has also led to a lot of
people having to pause their normal life and concentrate on more simple pleasures.
Of course, at some point the virus will be contained sufficiently for things to start to return
to normal, but what normal will actually look like in the future is open to debate.
Across the world there will be a huge economic downturn with the loss of many businesses
and jobs. Football will not escape this, with those clubs that survive having to make do
with less income from advertisers and sponsors. From a grounds perspective this may
lead to stadium building grinding to a halt. Grants for ground improvements may dry up
and projects relying on enabling developments may be in peril. It may also lead to a relaxation
of grading requirements. On the plus side it may be an opportunity for some
clubs to be more realistic and to live within their means. It may also mean the reemergence
of clubs going down the DIY route for new stands, which will be welcome.
One thing is clear, things will never be the same again.
In the face of all this, it almost seems churlish to talk about what has been happening in
the word of Groundtastic over the last three months. However, it has been a momentous
time for the magazine and we should not let it pass without at least a brief mention.
Firstly, our 100-page special issue of GT100 went down very well with readers. So well in
fact that within a couple of days of publication we had to order a reprint to ensure that
we had enough copies to sell at the North West Counties League Groundhop event on 6-
8 March. Since then we have had another two reprints. We have to draw a line somewhere,
so suffice to say that our current stock is the last, so if you haven’t got a copy and
would like one, order soon.
A month later our much anticipated new book, The Cemetery End, came out. A full colour
production in A4 landscape format, and running to 228 pages, pre-orders showed
that interest was high, but demand has turned out to be nothing short of phenomenal.
We have been overjoyed at the reception the new book has received, with many rave
reviews and comments on social media and sent direct to us by letter and email. Just
three weeks after publication we had to ask for a second print run to satisfy demand and
then, after Vince was interviewed about the book on talkSPORT and we were inundated
with orders, we had to do a third. If you are yet to order, see page 75 for details.
The final publication we want to mention is the new GT Index, which has been revised to
cover all 100 editions of the magazine. This is available free online. See the Tea Bar section
of this issue for more details.
Finally, with all that’s been happening we are pleased to be able to bring a little normality
by getting this issue published within our normal timeframe. It is slightly different, with a
few less ‘news’ pages as there is less to report on at the moment. Otherwise all the usual
content is present. Enjoy this issue and we’ll see you again in September.
3