Fans To Return To The Premier League Early Next Month
Arsenal are planning to allow fans back into the Emirates Stadium for their Premier League game against Sheffield United on October 3rd.
A ballot system will be introduced to select season ticket holders who will be able to attend the home fixture at a reduced capacity based on government guidelines.
A statement on the club's website said: "Although our home fixture against West Ham United on Sunday 20 September will be played behind closed doors, based on the current UK Government guidelines, we hope to be able to welcome supporters back to Emirates Stadium on a reduced capacity basis from the Sheffield United game scheduled for Saturday 3 October.
"While we finalise the details surrounding our reduced capacity matches, we want to update you on our plans to welcome you back to Emirates Stadium safely. In devising an agile plan for the season ahead, we are focused on maximising the number of supporters able to safely attend matches at Emirates Stadium and providing fair and equitable access to the limited tickets available for all season ticket holders.
"The capacity at Emirates Stadium will initially be much reduced due to UK Government guidelines, Premier League directives and our responsibility to apply appropriate social distancing measures to ensure our fans can return as safely as possible."
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters described the test event between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea at the Amex Stadium last weekend for the partial return of supporters as "very encouraging".
2,524 were allowed to attend the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, which was the first football match to admit fans since the ban on mass gatherings was introduced in March.
The game was part of a raft of pilot events, across several sports, approved by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for a phased return of spectators. All pilots so far appear to have been a resounding success, so it’s hoped these can be increased in attendees over the coming weeks.
