'It's shocking it's come to this' - world reacts to Edinburgh parent standing on top of a van to watch son play football in pandemic

An Edinburgh dad took a photo showing other eager parents going to extreme lengths to watch their children play football – here’s what readers thought.

Jamie Brodie from Sighthill had taken his 12-year-old Calum to Dundee to play football but restrictions meant that parents weren’t allowed to enter the grounds to watch.

Shared via the Edinburgh Evening News Facebook page, more than 1,300 people commented on the story sharing their thoughts.

Ryan Pettigrew said: “Absolutely outstanding and rightly so. Who wants to miss their children playing football.”

Helen Remnant agreed saying: “As a parent I totally get this. To take your child to do the thing they love doing and you love watching them do and not be able to ‘legitimately’ watch

at close quarters is heart wrenching. But I also totally understand that these measures have to be taken.”

Julio Brustolin also commented: “I would be proud of my dad if it was me on the pitch, they're only showing they support.”

While all of the comments support the lengths the parents went to to watch their children play, many felt the restrictions were too harsh and shouldn’t prevent safe, socially

Readers react

distanced viewing.

Alan Brown said: “Shocking it’s come to this. If you can walk in a supermarket with a mask on and people are less than a meter from you in the isle I’m sure standing at a game

watching your kid playing sport is safer and does all the good for the kid and the parent.

"We shouldn’t allow this firstly as sports clubs and secondly as supportive parents.”

Davy Jameson had a similar view commenting: “By stopping parents watch their kids they are now creating a bigger risk, where parents are doing dangerous things to watch like

climbing walls.

“Let them in with masks and social distance, what's the problem with that?”

Others shared their own experiences similar to this one with Susan Allison saying: “Saw the same thing at Rugby Park in Killie parents peeking through the gates and a parent

sitting on his van to see over the gate. While the whole stadium sitting empty madness”

Mark Devenney said: “I was standing in a field about 50 meters away from the park watching my boy play with nobody anywhere near me and I get moved along with the threat of

the game being stopped,embarrassing rules being imposed all over the place”

Sue Murray added: “It’s so sad - drive past any football park and this is what you see. I saw a picture of one of our grannies in her 80’s, on a step ladder to see her grandsons.

Hellish that folks are having to go to those lengths.”

Hayley Nutter went to extreme lengths herself to watch her boy play: “Last week I climbed a tree and watched my son play a football match. The alternative would have been to sit

in a car for two hours, after it taking over an hour to get there with also the hour home.

"I don’t see the issue with it at all. If you’re outside and social distancing there isn’t an increased risk to anyone.”

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