Watching sport is bad for your health!

A few years ago, I was in Anfield stadium, the home of Liverpool Football Club with my son, Colin. We were there to see Liverpool playing Manchester City in the Premier League. We arrived early, and the atmosphere was building nicely.

Football grounds in the UK have changed dramatically since the sixties and seventies. They are a lot more family friendly now and the stands are all seater which eliminates over-crowding and all the pushing and shoving that went with that. It’s much more civilised and comfortable.

Before the game started, we were sitting behind the goals, watching the players warming up. They were taking shots at the goals and there were lots of footballs flying in all directions.

At one stage, I saw a ball coming towards us and it was travelling at some speed. I stuck my hand out instinctively and the ball glanced off it and went harmlessly up in the air. I got a tap on the shoulder from an elderly man sitting behind me and he thanked me. His wife had been drinking coffee and he told me the ball was heading straight for her face. They were both laughing but it could have been nasty if it struck her.

It’s something that happens at football matches. Balls can fly into the supporters at any time, so you need to be aware of it, especially if you happen to be sitting behind the goals. It happens in rugby too, but it seems that rugby supporters are a little less forgiving.

Colin Coyle reported online, that two fans have taken separate personal injury claims after being struck by rugby balls at the Aviva stadium. The cases have been taken by two female spectators, both of whom were hit, at separate games, by balls that were kicked into the crowd by players.

Both of the legal actions have been lodged against the IRFU, the body that governs rugby in Ireland and New Stadium DAC, the company that operates the stadium. These are believed to be the first cases taken by fans over injuries inflicted by a rugby ball.

I’m not familiar with the exact circumstances of these cases so maybe it’s unfair to comment on them in particular but if cases like these succeed and claimants receive compensation, then the whole face of how we enjoy sport as spectators may have to change and that will be a sad day for us all.

We attend matches to be a part of the occasion and to enjoy the spectacle. We want to be as close to the action as possible. If it becomes a thing that supporters can claim for compensation when they happen to be struck by a ball, then clubs will be forced to take action to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Imagine the implications for everyone if health and safety got even more involved in regulating supporters. For a start, every spectator would have to wear a high vis vest. Club merchandising would take a hit because they wouldn’t sell any jerseys if all the supporters were forced to wear yellow. They would all look the same.

It would be quieter too because they’d have to wear ear protectors to save them from the noisy cheering and industrial boots with steel toe caps in case someone stood on their toes while getting to their seat. Helmets, safety goggles and gloves would be compulsory as well to protect them from flying objects.

There are other measures that could also be introduced to reduce the risk of harm to vulnerable supporters. Footballs could be reduced in size and made from softer material and players could be warned not to kick the ball so hard. The IRFU could do away with penalty kicks and conversions and that would also help.

High walls could be erected around every pitch to give more protection. That would probably interfere with our enjoyment of the game, but it would be for our own good. Better to be inconvenienced than suffer a fatal injury from a slap of a ball. Thousands of spectators would be better protected thanks to a few people who made a claim for the benefit of their fellow sports fans.

The reality is though, that the compo culture in this country is gone daft and it’s about time that common sense was introduced to the legal system and ridiculous claims were kicked into touch where they belong. It’s difficult to see that happening though when the present Government, who claims it wants to crack down on spurious claims, has within its ranks, members who don’t discourage the compo culture.

The Maria Bailey case provides a good example. As a T.D. and a legislator, she surely has a responsibility to be taking a lead on this issue, instead she famously fell off a swing in a hotel and lodged a claim against that premises. She tried to justify her claim on the radio when she was interviewed by Sean O’Rourke but only succeeded in digging a hole for herself.

She subsequently dropped her personal injury case against the hotel after a backlash from the public and the media. Even her own colleagues didn’t support her, and Leo Varadkar rapped her on the knuckles as well.

The compo culture is costing us with rising insurance costs. Kevin O’Neill reported in the Irish Examiner that Cork City and County councils have paid out €15m in compensation for slips, trips, and falls since 2016 and hundreds of cases have yet to be settled.

He doesn’t tell us how many of those cases were genuine, but I suspect that some were spurious, and why not? Until bogus claimants are penalised, it’s worth their while having a go because they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.