Q&A: What will the matchday experience be like for fans from December 2?
Going to a sporting event will be very different to the start of 2020.
Spectators are set to return to sports venues in lower-risk areas once the national lockdown ends on December 2.
But what will the match-going experience be like? Here, the PA news agency tries to provide some answers.
What has the Government said?
In tier one – areas deemed to have the lowest coronavirus infection rates – up to 4,000 spectators will be allowed in outdoor venues or 50 per cent capacity, whichever is lower. In tier two that drops to 2,000 or 50 per cent, whichever is lower.
For indoor venues it is 2,000 or 50 per cent capacity in tier one, 1,000 or 50 per cent capacity in tier two.
When will we know who can let fans in?
Have the protocols been decided?
The EFL’s expectation is that the plans drawn up by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) for the planned return of spectators from October 1 will still be applied.
Will supporters be spread across stadiums, or just put in one stand?
Are face coverings mandatory?
What about singing and chanting?
What other differences might fans notice compared to March?
Will it be limited to home fans only, and will people be able to travel to a different tier to watch a match?
The EFL has said the decision will be a lifeline to some of its clubs. What about the Premier League?
The top flight welcomed the move as a starting point, but will clearly be looking for attendances to be scaled up. It sees technology as the answer in the medium term, before any vaccine becomes widely available, and its chair Gary Hoffman sits on the Sports Technology and Innovation Group (STIG) which is looking at ways in which technology can help get fans back into venues safely.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said they would welcome the opportunity to have 4,000 fans inside the Amex Stadium, but that it would be “more symbolic than financial” at this stage.
