Linda Broughan is a lifelong Leyton Orient supporter with various links to the club, like many fans up and down the country her relationship with her football club has changed in recent times due to the pandemic. I caught up with her to discuss whether her relationship with the club has changed in recent months.
Linda’s bond with the O’s stretches back throughout her family tree with her family’s roots firmly invested in it. Her father’s ashes are scattered on the pitch and as she told me “He is there at every home game too”.
“Orient Family”
Her mother attended several games as a child, later in life going to matches on a regular basis with members of her family and various friends whom Linda described as being “part of the Orient family”.
As a fan, her match day experience is so much more than just the 90 minutes of football on the pitch, it’s about the day in its entirety. Away days too, travelling with friends on long train journeys, having a drink together, the camaraderie with fellow supporters, being respectful when representing your club out and about, there are many components that make a match day and being a supporter so special to someone like Linda.
Linda admitted that during the early stages of the pandemic, when word was still spreading regarding the virus, it did not have a huge impact on her football life. Linda is heavily involved in her club. She works on match days in the supporter’s club bar, she is on the committee of Orient’s Supporters Club, she is the non-executive director of the Fans Trust and also a trustee for Orient’s Club Trust. Her following of Orient, and her various involvements within the club, make up a huge part of her life.
“Things Changed Very Quickly”
But once COVID took over earlier this year, when cases began to surge, and it altered all of our lives, Linda’s football life, like many other supporters, was heavily impacted. Linda said, once Coronavirus took over, things changed very quickly “All football was cancelled with less than a week’s notice, the Supporters Club closed its doors for the first time in its history.”
It is apparent that fans of EFL clubs such as Leyton Orient did not expect their season to be cancelled, especially when overall they felt the country was only a few weeks away from a return to normality.
Linda’s thoughts for Leyton Orient and their supporters turned to the ways this would affect the club as a whole and whether there would be a major financial impact.
After some of the troubles Orient have faced in recent times some fans might have feared the worst and could have even been thinking about the club’s survival. “This all seemed so unfair after the traumatic few years we have suffered as Orient fans.” Explaining some of the club’s recent difficulties Linda recalled the club suffering two relegations in three years, relegation out of the Football League (the first time in the club’s history), near liquidation, and the devastating loss of Justin Edinburgh after he guided Orient back to the Football League. “There was worry and rumour all around” said Linda, emphasising just how fearful supporters were about the impact of this unprecedented COVID situation.
“Above and Beyond”
“Football fans are a resilient bunch” said Linda. Describing what it has been like supporting her team during the pandemic, I understood, although things are very different, new norms and rituals have replaced the usual and, despite fearing the impact of COVID, ultimately there are still several factors as to why Orient supporters should be positive. One of which is the owners, with Linda having nothing but praise for them and their handling of the pandemic:
“They have gone above and beyond to reassure us as fans that, whilst it will be tough for a while, they will support the club financially, and we are not in any imminent danger of financial collapse.” Another positive to come out of COVID as an Orient fan is the success of the club’s commercial team helped by Harry Kane’s much welcomed shirt sponsorship deal.
We touched on the weekend of a football fan at the moment. Linda watches the live streams and checks in with the group chat on Whatsapp, watches a number of fan podcasts, and has many zoom calls and phone calls to friends.
Although supporters would like things to be back to normal, they are making the best of a bad situation. They are still finding ways to follow their beloved football teams and catch up with friends who share their passion.
One thing is for sure though, Linda can’t wait for things to be different so she can get back to those terraces with her friends and fellow supporters.
