When fans return to football stadiums around the UK and rest of Europe, the atmosphere will be slightly different. Whilst there are fans allowed at some stadiums, capacity is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels.
In what will be a great sight, many are asking what the protocols will be for entering the stadiums, will this be a negative covid test or will stadiums wait until we are in the clear and most people have been vaccinated.
Many have hoped that by this time of the year many games would have fans, however this has been put back to an alarming rate of cases in the UK. Fans have been away from many stadiums including Old Trafford for over 300 days. Many fans were asked about the views of returning and the club even have plans set in place for immediate return when the Government confirm they can allow the turnstiles to open.
‘Unfortunately, going back to the scenes of the last Manchester United match at Old Trafford played in front of a crowd – the 2-0 victory over Manchester City on March 8 – is a long way off, but I for one cannot wait.’ Insidethegames.biz
Outside Stadiums
Any decision made by the government will relate to fans being able to use shared public transport together and congregations outside the stadium as well. For example Manchester United, Old Trafford has thousands of fans that come from outside the city to watch the team. This has to be taken into consideration by all parties involved.
Ticketing
At the moment, clubs that are allowed to have a limited number of fans return are using a ballot system to ensure it is fair. Liverpool FC for example are one of the top teams with a 2000 limit capacity in place. Moving forward clubs will probably use a similar system for season ticket holders. Seat Compare for example have limited the resale of football tickets to ensure that they don’t display tickets for such games. ‘The resale of football tickets including the Premier League can wait, we need to ensure everyone is safe.’
Inside Stadiums
Inside the stadiums, for a full capacity this will require that everyone inside is either tested, has the vaccine or levels of transmission are so low that there is no danger of mass outbreaks as a result of football. The last thing anyone would want is an outbreak caused by a football match, whilst it is the beautiful game we have to be serious about the dangers that this would cause and unnecessary suffering. Until we are highly certain we are passed this then it is fair to say that the return of fans should be delayed as long as possible.
Prediction
We at FootballDirectNews.com believe that the stadiums will try to slowly increase fans based on a percentage of the capacity and UK Government guidelines. Based on predictions from medical experts, full capacity might not be allowed until May/June at the very earliest with the potential of stadiums waiting until the restart of the 2021/2022 season to commence.
What are your thoughts on the above, do you think the experts have it correct?
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