BG has taken pride in being able to screen nearly every Arsenal match for many years, regardless of start time or attendance. In the near term, we sadly must add this to the long list of things that haven’t truly returned to their pre-pandemic “normal”.
Dillon’s is no exeption to the staffing challenges faced by the hospitality industry. They are quite willing to open early for us when necessary, but our group needs to deliver crowds that make it worth their while, especially given the extra demands it puts on limited staff. Mid-week matches only require opening an hour early, but 7.30a kick-offs are more difficult.
Simply put, BG attendance is down this season. While team performance is something of a factor, it has far more to do with fewer people being in the area during the week, and, most critically and understandably, ongoing hesitancy among many to attend indoor events.
Given these realities, screenings for mid-week and early weekend kick-offs will be assessed and communicated about on an individual basis until further notice. We have introduced a new, web-based RSVP system on the Matches page to help estimate crowds. The process is quick, easy, and does not require any sort of registration to use. While it is never required to attend events with us, we ask all our supporters to take a brief moment to RSVP to each match they plan to attend in order to help us, and by extension, themselves.
BG and Dillon’s apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation and understanding.