Sunday’s North London Derby might have been hotly anticipated, but it also provided local business owners with a sombre reminder of how challenging the pandemic has been. Matchday foot traffic provides countless businesses in the area with the custom they need to stay afloat.
On a typical weekend, 60,000 fans would have descended on the area surrounding the Emirates Stadium, and their absence has been felt by everyone – from chip-shop owners to pub landlords. A walk around the stadium today brings with it an eeriness. Aside from the occasional jogger or skateboarder, the area is deserted, an austere monument to pre-lockdown life.
Speaking to people in the area, it quickly becomes clear that football is vitally important for reasons that go far beyond on-the-pitch politics. Mick Doherty, who runs the Islington Sports Bar and Grill, told Islington Now that the pandemic and ensuing social distancing measures have been a “disaster” for local businesses in the hospitality industry.
Doherty, whose bar is just two minutes from the stadium, said: “Matchday business is absolutely massive for us.”
He feels the government and the council have not done enough to help in these trying times. “Every landlord I know in this area has enormous rent arrears, and a lot of places have had to close down. We get some grants from the council, about £1,000 a month, that doesn’t even cover 20% of our monthly rent.
“Even with the roadmap to reopen, we are going to struggle in the short-term, we only have enough outside seating for four tables, so while we want to get open as early as possible, that’s never going to cover our costs until we can get indoors up and running.
“With furlough, it’s great for employees, but it actually costs businesses money – we still have to cover National Insurance and pension contributions.”
Doherty’s frustration with the situation is palpable, and it has also affected another local business he is involved with, the Islington Boxing Club. “At the boxing club, we’ve even had to sell the minibus just to keep things ticking over.”
However, when it comes to boxing, it is not the money that is his main concern but the effect it has had on the local community: “Kids are getting stabbed left, right and centre, and places like the boxing club offer them an opportunity to stay off the streets.
“But even when we do open, we’re still going to have to have reduced capacity until the 21 June supposedly. There’s limits on how many people we can have in.”
And even when people are allowed back in the gym, Doherty is worried that children may have lost interest as they are no longer allowed to compete. “Gyms should have priority for physical and mental health, kids are sitting home eating pizza and playing Playstation. With lockdown, a lot of kids have lost interest as they can’t even spar.”
However, there is cause for optimism for Doherty and for others in the area. With the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, pubs and bars are set to be allowed indoor business on 17 May, and following a court case the substantial meal requirement has been abandoned.
“Obesity is a big problem in this country and people were being forced to eat!” Doherty quipped. “These boffins were making it up as they go along, so I’m glad Sacha Lord was able to remove that requirement. We’re a bar first and foremost and I feel that places that didn’t focus on food were being discriminated against. How are you more likely to catch Covid in a bar than a coffee shop or in Primark where people were swarming all over each other?”
It seems that while the future may look bright, many local business owners are not wishing to count their proverbial chickens, and are acutely aware that the dates that have been provided could well change.
