It’s Schedule Eve. Probably.
By all accounts and the Twitter buzz, the 2020=2021 EPL fixture list will be released tomorrow at around 9a in the good old British Summer Time.
Schedule Eve is usually the very best day of a football wanderer’s year. When that EPL fixture list hits the wire, it’s time to plot and plan. To figure out how to match up some teams you might like to see with a weekend that works with your schedule and get ready to roll the dice every time the TV schedule is announced.
But, this year’s gains over the Coronavirus seem to be retreating quickly — as college students return to campus and cluster at parties. As holidaymakers across Europe head back home from crowded beachside escapes. As fall turns to winter adjacent and flu season begins to scramble the symptom list.
It’s hard to be hopeful. And the logistics for getting fans back in the stands seems to grow more complicated by the day. And the club trying to make things work within the friendly confines of their stadium infrastructure.
So, this year’s fly-away plotting and planning is fantasy only. Maybe more fun than the challenge of keeping an actual Fantasy Premier League side fresh as fixture congestion rages through shortened weeks and piled-up competitions. .
Simply getting out of the country is gonna be a tough one for Americans. And getting your hands on tickets with grounds at 25% capacity and more than 70% of the usual seats promised to season ticket holders ….
I’ve read over and over that thinking about travel is still a good thing. The very fine folks at Scott’s Cheap Fights — one of my regular travel lust email musts and a good bargain for finding premium deals (check ‘em out) — have been spreading the age-old mantra that half the fun in travel is planning. And anticipation.
Boy, I hope they’re right.
It’s the feelings and plans that will have to linger as the pandemic quietly rages. Because once this schedule is released — I plan to plot and scheme with the same intensity as years before. Call it extra practice. Wishful thinking.
We’re going to have bags and bags full of anticipation this year. Pack ‘em full of trip planning.