What's it like to run a football club during the pandemic?
Tom @ the BNC
23 November 2020
Hundreds of people work at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. How many jobs, beyond the players, can you think of? Here's just a few:
- coaching staff
- doctors and physios
- chefs and caterers
- security
- groundstaff
- IT
...to name just a few!
Tottenham's new 62,000 all-seater stadium and local regeneration created 2,883 new jobs for local people too.
So what do you think it is like like to run a Premier League football club during a pandemic? What challenges does it create and how do you manage them? Daniel Levy is Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur and we have invited him to take YOUR questions. Last season, Tottenham had to completely reorganise the way it operated due to the pandemic, and their season was also covered by the Amazon documentary All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur. The club reversed its decision to place staff on the government furlough scheme after criticism and continued to pay them in full.
WE HAVE NOW ASKED DANIEL LEVY YOUR QUESTIONS, SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR A POST WITH HIS ANSWERS!
You can keep commenting below with your thoughts on running professional sport during the pandemic. What do you think is the biggest challenge and how have you seen professional clubs and organisations overcome them?
(You can see Daniel Levy at several points during this video!)
Photo credits:
Doha Stadium Plus Qatar, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Bluejam, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
#/media/File:Daniel_Levy.jpg){kind=link}
Comments (65)
12 Nov 2020
This was really helpful and I have a question to
Why do we have to have a World Cup every 4 year why can we just have it more often
That's a good question but we're looking for questions about our topic, the Future of Work! What would you like to know about that?
12 Nov 2020
This is my question to Daniel Levy is I'm a huge football fan and I love football and other sport to but my main question is
Why do footballers tend to get paid over 3 million a year for just running around and scoring goals??? Do they get paid for like scoring goals or something?? Could you please answer this I really want to know!
I understand your question but the main question is why were footballers still getting paid during Lockdown???
Ok
12 Nov 2020
This was really helpful and I have a question to
Why do we have to have a World Cup every 4 year why can we just have it more
12 Nov 2020
eager_reflection here,
I would like to ask Daniel Levy,
How would you describe the effects of lockdown to professional sport? How do you think this second lockdown will impact your club? What do you think people who work in sport can learn after the pandemic?
Thanks for reading.
12 Nov 2020
how would robots be used in the future life and during the pandemic?
12 Nov 2020
It is probably very stressful and hard becuase you have to sort out your players and your kits
12 Nov 2020
because this is about football there are lots people in the class who like football
12 Nov 2020
when was the first world cup and why was it started?
That's a good question but we're looking for questions about our topic, the Future of Work! What would you like to know about that?
12 Nov 2020
I wasn't able to watch the video because it is restricted for me but I have a question-
How can you still run a football club during this pandemic? I know that you don't actually have to touch anyone or the ball (except for the goalkeeper) but wouldn't the football matches be stopped at the moment? If not, how are you minimising the risk of covid-19? Does the goalkeeper still need to touch the ball?
What do you mean by "you'll go socially up the leaderboard", wondrous_orca?
13 Nov 2020
How Is life working during covid 19
13 Nov 2020
What do you do to film your matches in quality while trying to social distance lots of cinematographers (people that film things rather than take photos)?
13 Nov 2020
Sorry that I’m commenting again but I have a very eager question to ask which is
If there were no doctors or physios and a player were injured What would the player do?
champion_banana | Whyteleafe School E
13 Nov 2020
I think it would be very hard because he needs to social distance with all the players.
You are right
13 Nov 2020
As a chairman what exactly do you do?
13 Nov 2020
What was the effect of lockdown to your club and did it just effect finances or effect the people working there.
13 Nov 2020
Why do you give different amounts of money to different players? why isn't the wage the same as every player?
13 Nov 2020
There have been many matches cancelled (eg the World Cup 2020) due to this pandemic. I would like to ask how has the change of having thousands of fans screaming their favourite footballers' name, to having an empty stadium impacted the players? Also, how has it impacted the staff at the stadium as there aren't people going into the venue because of lockdown?
comfortable_chemistry
13 Nov 2020
What challenges did you have to face (financially and physically) during the first lockdown
14 Nov 2020
why does the coach get paid when it's not him playing?
14 Nov 2020
I LOVE FOOTBALL so i have loads of questions but i have one big one.
How has the first lockdown impacted your club?
Has the second lockdown impacted your club more or less?
and how?
15 Nov 2020
I would like to ask Daniel Levy,
Do you keep social distancing when not training?
Do the players keep distancing to coaches?
Did the younger team still play matches?
15 Nov 2020
reflective_artic_fox here,
I would like to ask Daniel Levy, 'How can the game football be classified, as work or sport? Or both?
I would also like to ask 'How did the current pandemic affect the team –physically and mentally?'
Thanks for reading.
composed_planet | Whyteleafe School E
15 Nov 2020
How does it affect the players when no fans are allowed into the stadium during a pandemic? Does this affect the players and managers because there would be no fans singing and they are used to hear the fans singing very loudly, so it can make them proud to play football.
16 Nov 2020
I would like to ask Daniel Levy,
Was it hard to maintain social distancing while playing and practising?
What main challenges did you have to face and how did you solve them?
Was it hard to abide by the rules and did you always keep them?
17 Nov 2020
I would like to ask Daniel levy why M.pomchentino was sacked.
;
i would like to ask why M.ponchentino was sacked, please respond i really want to know why a great boss would get the sack.
That's a very interesting question, and he was very successful wasn't he! However, do you have any questions about the Future of Work and the way Tottenham employs so many people?
I want to know as well
17 Nov 2020
I sport toland wish you the best of luck from your bigest fan
And what questions do you have for him, radical_orca?
17 Nov 2020
i dont really support tottanham but i still like it.
17 Nov 2020
Hi Daniel,
ingenious_forest here.
I just want to say, before I ask my question, that I am an Arsenal fan (Sorry!)
During lockdown, it became clear that Gunnersaurus, the Arsenal mascot, was being sacked. At Tottenham you have Chirpy the Cockerel - I think.
What would it be like if there was no mascot?
Would the games be less intense?
Would the club start to drop down the league?
Also, what was it like during lockdown, with no mascots, fans, or much staff?
How did the club run?
I would really like to know this as if the mascot disappeared, and fewer fans came to matches, then you wouldn't be able to pay the staff, creating possible homelessness and hungry people.
This would be a massive chain reaction.
Thankfully, Mesut Ozil has now decided to pay Gunnersaurus, although it won't be Jerry Quy in the suit, and he will now be back at The Emirates.
I hope you respond,
ingenious_forest
A wonderful set of questions - shows how interested you are!
Thanks Tom!
17 Nov 2020
Sorry, I know I have commented already, but I have just had another question:
How did the move from White Hart Lane to Wembley, and them back to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium affect staff?
As I said in my previous comment, redundancies would have a huge effect on thousands of people.
I hope you can answer this,
ingenious_forest
17 Nov 2020
It is going to be hard in this pandemic,you have to keep social distance and after playing football you have to wash your hands after hugging and touching people.
18 Nov 2020
Terrific_leaf
I would like to ask, when your team play they have to social distance? Or do they just isolate for a few days before their matches
18 Nov 2020
I would like to ask Daniel how bad has coronavirus impact you life and your football club and alsohow do you social distance when playing football.
18 Nov 2020
that vid was tense
19 Nov 2020
Me and my parents both agree to ask how can robots help any jobs(Security and doctors)???
I also think that most of the jobs should stay the same such as football coaches. I am also a huge Tottenham Hotspur fan!!!
insightful_region | Whyteleafe School E
19 Nov 2020
How does it affect the players when no fans are allowed into the stadium during a pandemic? Does this affect the players and managers because there would be no fans singing and they are used to hear the fans singing very loudly, so it can make them proud to play football.
insightful_region
As we have said elsewhere on the Hub, please do not copy other people's work and use only your own words.
19 Nov 2020
I would like to ask Mourinho how it is like to run a club to win a league.
How hard is it to be able to work and how it’s like to be sacked from Man United.
20 Nov 2020
What’s it like meeting lots of new players and what’s it like moving to another football club
20 Nov 2020
it is pobably a lot more uncomortable not having to social distance in matches and it is harder as after the game you have to wash your hands after touching eachother.
20 Nov 2020
I would like to ask Daniel levy how do you think that you are going to stay in the same football team? have you ever thought of moving ?
23 Nov 2020
Can I ask Daniel Levy how hard it is to follow the current guidlines and how much you've altered to make it work?
23 Nov 2020
I would like to ask daniel levy,
how
How has the corona virus affected your business?
Have there been any major incidents where a player has contracted the virus?
is it hard to social distance while playing football?
24 Nov 2020
I want to ask if one of the players have coronavirus, would the game still be on with out that member and whether you test each member for any diesease?
25 Nov 2020
I think I would probably like to run a football club when I,m older because I could teach the kids who are in the football club new tricks and make them get better at football then they could teach other people football tricks too.
25 Nov 2020
How did the World Cup start and is there a reason for it to be every 4 years? Also who made the World Cup trophy ?
25 Nov 2020
In lockdown how did it effect you mentally and physically?
25 Nov 2020
I would like to ask
When lockdown was introduced how did the team cope
idealistic_cheetah | Whyteleafe School D
25 Nov 2020
With COVID-19 what has affected your job the most
26 Nov 2020
R.I.P Diego Maradona
amicable_bee | Whyteleafe School C
vivacious_oboe's comment
30 Nov 2020
Its very sad that he is gone but he will be remembered by the whole sporting community
attentive_information | Whyteleafe School C
30 Nov 2020
what payment was the footballers getting during lockdown
champion_nectarine | Whyteleafe School C
30 Nov 2020
i hate covid my football is down :(
unbiased_science | Whyteleafe School C
30 Nov 2020
I found this really helpful and would like to ask how did you afford to pay all of your workers as you did not use the government furlow scheme?
thanks for reading.
Great question!
You must be logged in to post a comment