Timeline on fan attendance as sport events prepare to reopen doors on Monday

Football, horse racing, rugby league and rugby union will be among the sports opening their doors to supporters on Monday.

The easing of coronavirus restrictions will see up to 10,000 fans able to attend sports events in England from Monday.

Football, horse racing, rugby league and rugby union will be among the sports opening their doors to supporters on Monday ahead of Premier League crowds returning in midweek.

Here, the PA news agency charts the steps forwards and backwards on this issue since the pandemic struck the UK last year.

March 2020

The stands were packed for the 2020 Cheltenham Festival (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Elite sport is forced into suspension during the first national lockdown, and only emerges behind closed doors from the start of June.

July 17, 2020

The Government announces that spectators will return to trial events over the summer, with a view to a wider, socially distanced reopening of venues from October 1.

A two-day county cricket match between Surrey and Middlesex on July 26 and 27, the delayed 2020 World Snooker Championship from July 31 and the final day of the Glorious Goodwood racing festival on August 1 are among the first to be announced.

July 26, 2020

Cricket fans at the Surrey v Middlesex friendly last July (PA)

July 31, 2020

Fans attend day one of the World Snooker Championship but Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the remainder of the event, along with the final day of Glorious Goodwood, must now take place behind closed doors due to a spike in cases.

August 13, 2020

The Government announces pilot events to test the safe return of spectators could resume from Saturday, August 15 – including the World Snooker final.

August 26, 2020

Fans sanitise their hands before the Brighton v Chelsea pre-season friendly on August 29, 2020 (PA)

September 9, 2020

September 22, 2020

Boris Johnson pressed pause on the return of spectators after an autumn rise in Covid-19 case numbers (PA)

October 31, 2020

The country enters a second national lockdown, but elite sport is allowed to continue.

November 23, 2020

The Prime Minister announces that venues in tiers one and two of the Government’s new regional system to tackle infections will be able to open on a limited capacity basis from December 2.

December 2, 2020

Race meetings at Ludlow, Lingfield, Kempton and Haydock also welcome spectators in.

December 30, 2020

Liverpool fans attended the match against West Brom before the city was moved out of tier two (Stu Forster/PA)

February 22, 2021

The Government says it will run an Events Research Programme (ERP) in the spring with a view to looking at measures which will allow crowds to return to venues in more significant numbers from June 21.

March 13, 2021

The first ERP pilot events are confirmed – the FA Cup final in May and the World Snooker Championship starting in April.

April 17, 2021

Spectators arrive for day one of the World Snooker Championship (George Wood/PA)

April 25, 2021

Two thousand Manchester City fans attended the Carabao Cup final on April 25 (PA)

May 2, 2021

A capacity crowd attended the final two days of the World Snooker Championship (PA)

May 10, 2021

The Prime Minister confirms the Government is proceeding with the plan to take the third step of the recovery road map, meaning sporting venues across England will be able to welcome back up to 10,000 spectators from May 17.