Let’s talk about the elephant in the stadium – the Lions need a new home

One could blame a number of reasons for the stands at Emirates Airline Park in Joburg on Saturday being sparsely populated: rain, ticket prices, and maybe even the unpredictable (read: sometimes poor) form of the Lions themselves.

Even allowing for the fact that the Lions’ traditional rivals on the other side of the Jukskei, the Bulls, are having a better time performance-wise lately, why was Loftus Versfeld so packed on Saturday?

All the negatives which could have dampened down attendance in Joburg also applied to the Bulls faithful.

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Lions fans have been accused of being more fickle than the die-hard Blue people, but there are many who have supported the team through thick and thin.

So, it’s not a worry of poor form keeping people away.

And they’ve shown rain doesn’t bother them overly, nor do ticket costs.

The elephant in the stadium threatening the entire future of it, and possibly even the Lions franchise itself, is that people don’t feel safe going on a family outing there any longer.

The area around it is disintegrating and crime-ridden and, win or lose, just getting in and out puts a damper on the whole experience.

Maybe it’s time to think about another home for the Lions.

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