Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

There are thousands of people in this city aching for the football to return but we know that it can’t until it is absolutely safe.

However, that doesn’t stop us wishing for the days when the beautiful game will be back. It was part of our daily conversations, it made us the butt of jokes and gave us the most incredible lifts. All that, from the stands.

It also been so hard for those who play team sports at grassroots. After weeks with no games, you would think that stamina and fitness levels would have dropped but I know plenty who are using this time to be even better when they return.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder and his Sheffield Wednesday counterpart Garry Monk are waiting to hear when their clubs will be able to return to action following the suspension of football in England due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: David Davies/PA Wire.

Seeing the Bundesliga back in action, even in empty stadiums, gives hope that the Premier League will return in all its glory at some point. Plenty are hanging on every word, and there haven’t actually been many, about when that might be.

We have a great heritage of sport in Sheffield. Cricket, basketball, squash, athletics, rugby, figure skating, diving – you can see them all right here in better times.

All ages love sport.

It is the worst feeling when you can’t play and can even lead to serious downs. The adrenaline and buzz is addictive, that high from making a perfect pass or scoring that winning goal has little to compare to it.

Not only are children unable to go to school, they can’t run off that excess weekend energy with their friends on the pitch. It might have saved thousands of mums from endless hours waiting in the rain, but I know we would much rather put up with that because sport can transform a child’s confidence as well as making them fit, happy and healthy.

So many of us can’t wait to get back to playing or experiencing that wave of joy from watching our team. The chants, the laughs and the tears.

There are, of course, some who hate sport in all its forms. Right now even they have lost something ... the chance to complain about being a football widow or losing control of the TV every Saturday night.

We need sport back for all our wellbeings. The good, the bad, the muddy, the stinky and the uncontrollable highs.

It’ll be worth the wait.

FROM THE EDITOR: For better or worse, we aren’t enjoying the sports divorce during lockdown