Spent Convictions

Wasn’t there a time when this club purported to be a beacon of our local communities? That meant not just the locality, but also the communities of interest locally. Disabled supporters, non heterosexual supporters, the whole gambit of diverse communities. Whilst across the pond identity politics have been labelled a ‘problem’, here it’s not quite the case. Yet our reputation risks being squandered in two areas.

Let’s start with disability. When I look around me on match days I see many supporters with disabilities. I don’t mean wheelchair users but people who have impairments but muddle through at the games. They may be people who have developed poorer mobility, or who’s sight or hearing is fading, but certainly in and around my seat there are plenty of people that meet the definition of disability contained within the anti discrimination legislation. Contrary to what you might think, most supporters with disabilities muddle through. They develop their own way for negotiating the various obstacles that prevent them enjoying the game. It might be that the P.A. isn’t clear enough, or that there are a lack of places to grab onto as you climb your way up to your seat in the main stand. Progress has stood still. 

Worst still away fans have no accessible facilities. Despite the good work of the Disabled Supporters Association the club is not putting resources into making further improvements. In the past many football clubs decided to lump home and away disabled supporters in the same location. I never understood the logic of this. It’s as if disabled supporters can’t get angry with each other. It also means that if you come to Prenton Park as an away supporter who uses a wheelchair you can’t sit with your mates. I suspect most non-ambulant disabled away supporters decide not to come. 

Then there is Rover and out. Their presence at matches reminds us that football supporters come in all shapes and sizes and not everyone is heterosexual. For a period the club seemed to back their endeavours. Now, with a player returning from a ban for homophobic insults, the club have become silent. Many fans would expect the club to say something and a fair proportion expected the club to do more than simply let the player sit out the ban.

Ties to our community are important. The supporters Trust have been organising collections for Wirral Foodbank and supporters have been generous. We need to remind ourselves that the Club is set in an area where many are hungry and lack the income to have the basics in life.  At the same time intolerance is on the increase. Just at the point when the club needs to speak out it says very little. 

This is a long way from the vision that was once promoted. Tranmere’s unique selling point was its USP as being close to the communities we serve. Of course there is an hiatus. The Club is up for sale and it might be unrealistic to expect explicit commitments to further activity. Yet Club sales do not remove the need for us to be part of a broader alliance, where our roots in our community are rooted in the interests of our communities.

If you have the conviction that supporting your local community isn’t a luxury then this becomes a no brainer. Convictions don’t change. Most of us could be institutionalised for carry the notion that ‘we are by far the greatest team the world has ever seen’. Yet supporting Tranmere is a conviction. Just like supporting our local community.

The views expressed are personal.