Roadmap For Fans Returning To Stadia Placed On Hold... For Now

Old TraffordWith the announcement that a 90% effective coronavirus vaccine had been developed and the news that a potential roll-out could happen as early as next month, there was euphoria across the share markets.

This was mirrored across sport, particularly where supporters and clubs could finally dream of some light at the end of the tunnel to return to stadia and at many echelons of the game potentially providing scope for survival of their beloved clubs.

However, despite requests from MPs, Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston declined to provide a precise roadmap for sports at a parliamentary debate on the issue.



Almost 200,000 people have now signed petitions calling for fans to be able to return to stadia, with nearly all elite sport in England taking place behind closed doors since March.

When asked about the timeframe on the fan-return pilot schemes to resume, the Sports Minister confirmed he wanted it to happen "as soon as it is safe to do so".

However, he also added, "One of the challenges we've got is… everyone saying 'can I get back to my stadia?’ You times that by multiple levels, multiple leagues and sports, and all of a sudden we've got a whole scale which is far beyond what we believe is acceptable at this moment in time. But the point made by several members today, that a 'one size fits all' [approach] may not be appropriate, is something we're looking at. A key issue is that this is not just about fans sitting in stands inside the stadia… but we must consider the whole fan journey as well, from home to venue, considering how fans travel to and from stadia, and the risk of gatherings in and out these venues, and a high number of contact points that this risks.

Plans for a partial and staged return of fans from 1 October were suspended after a rise in the number of coronavirus cases. However, at the same time London's O2 Arena announced 4,700 people would be able to attend a concert in December. The Royal Albert Hall will also welcome audiences of up to 2,500 back for a number of concerts this Christmas with many calling for explanations on the inconsistencies particularly when every single fan-return pilot has been so successful with no data displaying extra cases as a result of the schemes. Many stadia have dedicated huge resources to ensure everything within and surrounding a stadia alleviates issues, so that fans can be encouraged back. Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium, with a capacity of nearly 76,000 even suggesting they were convinced they could safely ensure 25,000 spectators would be able to attend whilst social distancing could still be achieved.

Whilst many clubs outside of the Premier League struggling to survive without financial help, the minister said the DCMS was in the "final stages" of discussions with the Treasury over a rescue package for other sports facing an unprecedented financial crisis because of the pandemic.

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