LEICESTER TIGERS v BRISTOL BEARS
09
Peter Tom CBE
CHAIRMAN Opening words from the Chairman of the Leicester Tigers. At last, today is the day when we finally welcome our supporters to the stadium again after 15 months of playing behind closed doors here. Even to get to this point of hosting a reduced capacity crowd has taken a huge effort from everyone at the club. None of it would have been possible either without the incredible backing of our club partners, sponsors, season ticket holders and all of our supporters in these unique times. It is wonderful to be able to welcome you inside Mattioli Woods Welford Road again, while also looking forward to the day when everyone who is still following the team from further afield can join you too. There have been numerous changes on and off the field during the last year while the club has also had to deal with the significant and serious challenges of operating throughout the pandemic. But, as we take this first step towards welcoming a full house here in support of the team, I would like to thank you all for the part you have played so far. Although this is our first home game with a crowd since February 2020, many of you will have attended our games at Twickenham and at Worcester over the last two weeks and the team are very grateful for your support. Like all supporters, the players’ families and friends have also been unable to watch in person during the last year and it was wonderful for the squad to be able to see and hear them back in the stands. We welcome them all this afternoon knowing that they, too, have played a part in getting those players to where they are today and acknowledging how much of a role their support plays. To lose to a single point in a Cup Final at Twickenham on the back of a lot of hard work to get there was obviously disappointing, especially as Steve and the players could point to moments
in the game where the outcome could have been different. It was very pleasing, therefore, to see the team bounce back and close-out victory at Worcester, especially when our tries came at the end of the stadium where most of our supporters were sat. Today we welcome league leaders Bristol Bears for our final home game of the season and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the coaches, players and staff for their hard work throughout this season.
It was important to fight back at Worcester
I would also like to thank all of the players who will move on this summer and thank them for their service to the club while wishing them well for the future. This is, of course, not the final rugby of the season here as we are honoured to host both an England ‘A’ fixture at the end of the month and the Varsity Matches on July 4 before we gather again for the new season. I’m sure we’ll also see many of you at Wasps next Saturday for the last game of the league season and hope to welcome many more of you when we kick off again in September. Thank you for all of your continued support.
