Belles chief executive Russ Green has thanked the supporters who attended Sunday’s first home game of the season for respecting the club’s social distancing requirements.
More than 200 people attended the game, which saw the Belles beat Bedworth United 4-1 at Oxford Street, the first time spectators had been able to attend a home game for six months.
Green said: “It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, as well as a few new ones, after so long. The girls and staff have been working hard, but having the backing of the fans did give the girls an extra boost on Sunday.
“In the world we live in now we want to take every precaution to keep everyone safe, so the temperature checks and track and trace are vital. Everyone was stood a little further apart around the ground than we’d have liked, but they still made plenty of noise and got behind the girls.”
Although every effort has been made to keep costs to a minimum this season, the extra income from gate receipts and raffle ticket sales is vital to help the club survive whatever may come ahead in these uncertain times.
Green added: “Everyone has been fantastic in terms of buying season tickets and sponsoring players, we know we’ve got a solid base under Club Doncaster but with talk of a second wave we have to be mindful that we simply don’t know what is around the corner.
“That’s where all the extra matchday income is vital, it gives us security to plan ahead and look at how we grow the club. It was clear from talking to the players and staff afterwards just how much they appreciated the support, we’ve got a great group together ready to attack the season and I’m so pleased to see the fans are right behind them."
