Nine Thousand fans were selected in the ballot for the game on Tuesday night. Ange Postecoglou’s first competitive game ended in a 1-1 draw with Danish side FC Midtjylland. The lucky few had to follow the relevant protocols from the club to get into the ground and enjoy the return to Paradise.
We caught up with Calum about what it was like getting back into the ground, whether it was different and how the vastly reduced crowd made some incredible noise.
Q. How was it being back in Paradise?
A: It was incredible to be back, what a feeling to be back at home.
Q. Were the protocols easy to follow for the return to the game?
A. Other than keeping a face mask on at your seat everything was easy to follow and well managed.
Calum was one of the 9k at the game on Tuesday
Q. Does it make you excited to get back to games in the future?
A. I wished I could go back to a game the day after it was so good.
Q. What was the atmosphere like?
A. You wouldn’t have thought there were 50 thousand empty seats with the noise especially when Ange first walked out.
Q. Was it easy to get to the game?
A. It was very easy! Especially with the lack of people no traffic at all…
Q. What noticeable difference were there between Tuesday night and the last game you were at?
A. It was massively different! No stalls are open. There were obviously not as many people in the ground and it was weird being in a different seat. It all felt different but it was a joy to be back.
18,500 will be in attendance on Saturday with a further 24,500 at the next competitive game at Paradise. If you are fortunate enough to have been selected in the ballot for Saturday, you can read the checklist for the return to games here.