Worth the wait
The inevitable wait for the close season to end is probably the second worst time being a football supporter, the first I'd class as your team getting relegated. Depending on where in the pyramid your team falls depends on how long the wait is between seasons.
Over the last few years we've seen play-offs introduced to extend the season, in the case of the National League super play-offs to keep interest going on longer. Although the regular season has a normal end date of the last Saturday of April, once the play-offs have been concluded by mid-May the curtain falls and that's it until realistically early July.
If you scroll through Twitter some clubs at Step 5 and 6 are already back in training despite league seasons not beginning until 3rd August, some will take part in their first pre-season friendlies this coming weekend meaning supporters will be rubbing their hands in glee at some football action.
With the way social media can report, rumour, confirm and deny things at the drop of a hat, frustration has been the key word I would use for what I've seen. Aimed at a lack of signings to just no news at all coming out of your club certainly tests the patience and the blood pressure at the same time.
But then they are not privy to the work going on behind the scenes to secure a signing, work happening to improve the ground, sponsors to sign up or friendlies to be arranged. Social media can find a sniff of any news or rumour within 30 seconds of it leaving a source or someone's mouth then it's gospel!
I know as well as anyone that once you get a bit of news you've got to get it up on your website and social media sits and watch the hits roll in, there's nothing more satisfying to see. Not every club is or can be well up on their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, time is precious and ever more so the further you get down the pyramid but it is also getting more and more important your club is out there with news as fast and as often as they can.
It still surprises me the hits we get at Wick for a Step 6 club, not just on the club website but especially across Facebook. Getting 10% of that back through the gate or supporting financially in another way would be fantastic and really help for a season, for something to build on into bigger and better things, I know I'm not the only one who would welcome that, same for clubs up and down the land.
But, just a few weeks to go before cup draws are made, grass is cut once a week, pitches are marked and off we go again in the last of the summer sun before the dark nights and midweek floodlit matches arrive, who'd swop any it...…………………………..