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The stadiums may be reopened from December 2nd, as soon as the second coronavirus lockdown is relaxed.
Sportsmail It was announced on Tuesday that the Ministry of Culture Media and Sport had submitted proposals to the cabinet office for the first time since March to allow fans to return to the grounds in December.
Now 4,000 spectators – or 50 percent of the capacity of a stadium for outdoor events, whichever is lower – are to be allowed in Tier 1 areas and 2,000 spectators or 50 percent of the capacity for indoor events are also allowed.
Tier 2 areas are also allowed to hold 2,000 spectators, or 50 percent of their stadium capacity outdoors, whichever is lower, and 1,000 fans, or 50 percent of their capacity indoors.
However, areas that are included directly in Tier 3 must still adhere to a ban on participation in sporting events for all fans.
Boris Johnson will make an announcement later Monday describing the long-awaited return of viewers to live sporting events.
He’ll be making a statement in the House of Commons and MPs will vote on it later that week.
The stadiums can be reopened from December 2nd as soon as the second suspension is lifted
Boris Johnson will make an announcement on Monday regarding the details for Tier 1 and 2 areas
Top-level sports continued behind closed doors during the four-week embargo, while amateur and amateur sports have been suspended since November 5th.
However, the Prime Minister’s announcement could mean that Haydock Park Horse Racing could be the first live sporting event with spectators on December 2nd.
Horse races are held every day until Christmas, with the exception of December 23rd and 24th.
The UK Horse Racing Authority stands ready to welcome the news that racers can return once the details are confirmed by the government.
Four meetings are scheduled for December 2nd at Haydock Park on Merseyside, Kempton Park and Lingfield in Surrey and Ludlow in Shropshire.
After two pilots at Warwick and Doncaster in September and a last-minute cancellation at Goodwood in August, the horse race has done a lot of prep for the return of the limited number of fans and how it works under the protocols that are likely to be imposed.
When it turned out that no spectators were expected at sporting events, the sport halved the number of meetings that were supposed to take place on Boxing Day to four.
It remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to make the routes feel that it is economically viable to drive on the traditionally largest routes of the season.
However, the BHA announcement left open the option of putting the sessions that had been switched to other days back to Boxing Day.
In all four areas of professional football in England, clubs insist that they are ready to reopen the turnstiles as soon as they get the go-ahead from the government.
Haydock Park Horse Racing on December 2nd could be the first sporting event with spectators
“I would like to see our supporters [in Turf Moor] for a testing event in December, ‘said Neil Hart, executive director of Burnley, whose club will host Wolves on December 19th and Sheffield United on the 28th of that month.
‘Our fans really want to come back and stand behind Sean Dyche and the team. Supporters tell us how much they miss it. There is great spiritual well-being [issue] – Football is a big part of our life. ‘
If you can go back, Manchester United’s Champions League game against PSG and Rapid Vienna’s visit to Arsenal could be the first event for professional football in this country.
However, SportsmailIt is known that the government has not contacted the clubs about plans to bring fans back to the stadiums, even if the players have fixtures in the first few days after the suspension was lifted.
A club source said, “Clubs are unsure what it will mean and are looking for as much information as possible.”
Areas in tier 2 can also welcome up to 2,000 spectators and tier 1 4,000 fans
Clubs at all levels of professional football, however, have prepared very well for fans to return, including suing their stadiums for cashless payments, scheduling staggered arrivals, and on-site social distancing.
While football will welcome a return of fans, clubs are concerned that the government is putting in place a roadmap to increase attendance. At large stadiums, a few thousand fans would mean they are still at a significant loss.
Rugby Union had also been hit hard by the absence of fans but received the largest amount from the £ 300mn bailout package announced last week, but some of the England games may be allowed to bring fans back in.
The clash between Bristol Bears and Northampton Saints at Ashton Gate could be the first Premiership game that fans are welcome back.
Man United’s game against PSG could be the first football game fans take part in
Rugby Union has also suffered from the lockdown but may see fans again soon
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