“It just felt like there was an extra edge to the game”- Aston Villa’s Neil Taylor says sport is missing the fans

‘We need fans back next season, not just for us but for the fans ” says Neil Taylor.

The Aston Villa player and member of the Welsh national team, announced his hopes that cheering fans could be allowed back in stadiums while discussing his part in a British Red Cross campaign to encourage people from BAME communities to take the vaccine on BBC Asian Network.

Taylor, who stars in a new British Red Cross film with other sports stars encouraging people to take the vaccine said “We’ve gotten so used to not having that day at the weekend when you go to the football with your family, or your mates. We are really going to cherish it when it’s back.”

He also said the fans at a recent cricket match he had seen on television [India Versus England T20 in India] bought “an extra edge” to the sport.

“I think that’s what we all crave in this country, to be back together. When watching the fans faces you could see they were all enjoying it together. I think that’s what we want back”

Neil went on to say he believes getting vaccinated against coronavirus is the way to get fans back at games.

“We know this is the key to [getting sport back to ‘normal’]…as long as people have the correct information they can make informed decision whether or not they have the jab”  But he urged fans to think seriously about it before dismissing the vaccine altogether.

Neil is supporting the British Red Cross #TeamVaccine campaign where he, along with a line-up of other sporting heroes from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, stars in a video encouraging viewers to get the vaccine.

The new film supports recent research from the British Red Cross that explores the issue of vaccine hesitancy among BAME communities the UK. It suggests family conversations could be key in increasing vaccine uptake.

According to the poll, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Brits are nearly twice as likely to get information about the vaccine from friends and family; trust family more than any other source of vaccine information other than health professionals; and are much more likely to have discussed their decision about whether to have the vaccine with extended family. They are also much more likely to have seen or heard information encouraging them not to have the vaccine (62% compared to 42% of the national sample).

The British Red Cross says that given the significant role families could play in decisions around having the jab, it is vital people are equipped with facts and information to have informed conversations. The charity says that having an informed conversation with your family about the vaccine is a kind thing to do, that can save lives.