A week before the Premier League starts, the 72 clubs in the three divisions of the English Football League kick off this weekend with the refreshing sight of spectators in the stadiums.
While it took a great effort to complete last season amidst the Covid-19 threat, it was frankly not the same without the cheers and jeers of fans, otherwise known as "atmosphere".
The hopes among supporters this season have not changed and there will be those who even dare to dream of promotion while others will simply settle for survival.
This is probably the only weekend in the entire season that the prospect of relegation is not mentioned by fans. But all it takes is an opening day home defeat and that ugly "R'' word will soon be surfacing.
Most fans support a Premier League club even if they were not born in that particular town or city.
But their gut feeling of support will always remain with their hometown team whatever lowly league they are in.
It is the team they have followed since they were kids. That's why supporters of Hartlepool, Newport County and Barrow are every much as passionate about their clubs as fans of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
There is a prospect of a real scrap in the Championship as teams battle for the Holy Grail of reaching the top flight.
The three teams most recently relegated from the Premier League are usually favourites to make a quick return and that appears to be the case once again.
Fulham are already the bookies' choice along with Sheffield United and West Brom.
All three have new managers -- Marco Silva at Craven Cottage, Slavisa Jokanovic with the Blades, and Baggies boss Valerien Ismael who did so well with Barnsley last season.
Another of the favourites, Bournemouth, have the familiar face of Scott Parker in charge.
Other teams expected to be in with a shout are Nottingham Forest with Chris Hughton at the helm, while Middlesbrough could be a force with veteran Neil Warnock.
It is premature to predict relegation candidates but the bookies don't hold out much hope for newly promoted Blackpool and Peterborough.
There will be considerable interest in how beleaguered Derby County get on.
Last season, Wayne Rooney's team only narrowly escaped the drop and things are not looking great for the Rams this time around.
They are desperately short of players and matters were not helped when Rooney injured Jason Knight with a tackle in training. There is also the possibility of a points deduction over financial mismanagement.
There is better news for Coventry who return to the Ricoh Arena after agreeing a deal with stadium owners Wasps rugby club.
For the past two seasons, the Sky Blues have been using Birmingham's St Andrews as their home ground.
However, this did not stop them winning promotion in 2020 under manager Mark Robins and last season they finished 16th in the Championship.
In League One, there are several former "big" teams desperate for a return to past glories.
Top of the list are Sunderland who are playing their fourth straight season in the third tier.
Every season, they are tipped for promotion and each time they have just missed out.
It has to be incredibly frustrating for their supporters who will be praying the Black Cats can do it this time around.
Other former Premier League teams itching to get out of League One are Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic and both should be in with a chance.
They have been joined this season by another famous club Sheffield Wednesday following their relegation from the Championship.
It will be interesting to see if the Thai-owned Owls can shake off last season's woes.
Wednesday boss Darren Moore is said to be in confident mood despite losing to Huddersfield in the League Cup last weekend.
In League Two, there will be interest in how Sutton United from South London adapt to the "big time" for the first occasion in their 123-year history.
Their prime aim will be to stay in the league.
The other promoted club, Hartlepool, make a welcome return to the league and should re-establish themselves.
Early tips for promotion are Salford City and Bradford City although it is never wise to predict what will happen in League Two.
It will be another season of cheers and tears, but for all the supporters of these 72 clubs there is nothing wrong in dreaming. That's what being a football fan is all about.