Going to the beautiful game will be a very different experience when English, Scottish and Welsh football supporters do eventually get the green light to watch games in person in the 2020-21 season. Social distancing measures will need to be in place at all public gatherings for months to come, but when football supporters are allowed to return to games, stadium managers will have to balance these restrictions with a great experience..

As the hospitality industry is already finding, outdoor spaces are proving extremely valuable in helping to attract, accommodate and serve a large number of customers. The science on the transmission of Covid-19 points to a much lower risk outdoors compared to inside, which means it is everyone’s interest to avoid tightly packed gatherings inside buildings. Ensuring that income from food and drink sales can be maximised at every game is crucial for football clubs, but particular so this year given the loss of income since games were closed to supporters back in March. So, providing hospitality in spaces outside the ground is going to be really important.

Many football clubs are already geared up for this with well-established ‘fan zones’ or more informal hospitality areas, including that at German Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05. They utilise a large space next to the main entrance to the ground where food vendors and bars can set up to host hundreds of supporters at any one time, giving them chance to socialise prior to entering the stadium. Being able to provide food and drink hospitality of this kind requires the right power and water infrastructure which can be used on-demand, but is protected from the elements, misuse and vandalism when not in use. The solution comes with pop up (retractable) or in-ground units from UK company Pop Up Power Supplies®.

It offers a range of service units which can be specified to provide a power supply of between 63 and 600 Amps along with access to water, gas and telephony services. The biggest benefit to these units is that they can be used only when they needed and hidden when not, but they also eliminate the need to hire costly, noisy generators and minimise trip hazards with far fewer trailing cables. Retractable, pop up units are available in four different versions, all manufactured in stainless steel AISI304 with an epoxy-polyester powder finish and tops in stainless steel or cast iron. And six variants of in ground (flip lid) units are available which offer the additional benefit of providing round-the-clock power for days, weeks or even months on end when ‘locked-down’.

Find out more about the full range of units available from Pop Up Power Supplies® at www.popuppower.co.uk.