For the second time in just over 12 months, Barnsley supporters have been left standing around, wallets lighter and patience exhausted, because The Lamex Stadium was suddenly deemed unplayable. Not the night before. Not early that morning. But after travelling fans had already set off – or arrived – in Stevenage.
If this feels familiar, it’s because it is.
Last time, we were told lessons would be learned. Protocols tightened. Communication improved.
This time? Same mess. Same shrug. Same people paying the price.
And that price is always paid by the fans.
Déjà vu on a Waterlogged Pitch
Let’s be clear about what’s happened here:
- A professional football club.
- In a professional league.
- Failing – again – to provide a playable pitch.
- With a postponement announced barely an hour before kick-off.
Supporters had already:
- Travelled hundreds of miles
- Paid for trains, petrol, food, and drink
- Booked time off work
- Arranged childcare
- Planned their entire day around one thing: following their club
And then – game off. Tough luck.
This wasn’t a freak blizzard. This wasn’t an unforeseen act of God.
This was rain. In England. In winter.
If your pitch can’t cope with that, you’ve got a problem.
If it happens twice in a year, you’ve got negligence.
The EFL’s Favourite Punching Bag: Matchgoing Fans
The most galling part of all this isn’t just the postponement. It’s the casual indifference shown by the EFL toward supporters.
The EFL loves to talk about:
- “The matchday experience”
- “Protecting the integrity of the competition”
- “Supporters at the heart of the game”
But when it comes to actual, tangible respect for fans’ time and money? Silence.
Their own rules on pitch inspections exist for a reason. Early inspections. Clear communication. Decisions made before supporters are on the road.
Yet here we are. Again.
What’s the point of having regulations if they’re applied after the damage is done?
Who Pays? (Spoiler: Not the EFL)
Let’s run through who doesn’t lose out here:
- The EFL
- Broadcasters
- Administrators who sign off these decisions
And who does?
- Away fans
- Families
- Pensioners
- Young supporters on their first away day
- Loyal followers who do this every single week
There’s no automatic compensation.
No accountability.
No meaningful consequences for repeat offenders.
Just a bland statement and a vague apology that doesn’t refund a train ticket or give someone their Saturday back.
This Isn’t Bad Luck. It’s Bad Governance.
Once is unfortunate. Twice is unacceptable.
If a club repeatedly fails to provide a playable surface, questions must be asked:
- Why weren’t earlier inspections carried out?
- Why wasn’t the pitch protected better?
- Why were supporters allowed to travel at all?
And if the EFL won’t enforce standards, then what exactly are they there for?
Because from where fans are standing – often literally in the rain – it looks like a governing body that’s forgotten who football is actually for.
Football Without Fans Is Nothing. Start Acting Like It.
Supporters are not an inconvenience. They are not an afterthought. They are not collateral damage.
They are the game.
Until the EFL starts treating fans with basic respect – through early decisions, real accountability, and proper consequences – this will keep happening.
And every time it does, a little more trust is washed away.
Just like that pitch in Stevenage.