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Town Had Approval For Fans' Return - Ipswich Town News

Town had been given approval for 1,000 fans to attend Saturday’s game at home to Rochdale, and also for further matches to be played in front of significantly larger crowds, before the Government put plans for supporters to return to professional football on hold yesterday.

A document almost 100 pages long outlining the procedures and protocols which the club had put in place was approved by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) on Monday, which gave the green light for Saturday’s game to be played in front of 1,000 fans if chosen as a pilot event by the EFL.

"We met all the safety requirements asked of us by the SAG to host a test event and the application had gone into the EFL to be considered for Saturday’s game against Rochdale,” matchday safety officer Mick Warden told the club site.

"If we had been selected by the EFL, that would have meant 1,000 fans back at Portman Road for Saturday.

"Providing our test event had gone according to plan - and there is no reason to suggest otherwise - we would have been in a position to accommodate more supporters in align with the Covid-secure protocols.

"Obviously the Government’s announcement has put a hold on the return of supporters. It’s disappointing but the health and safety of all is clearly the main concern.”

It's speculated that fans may now not be back on the terraces for another six months, a situation EFL chairman Rick Parry says is a huge concern for the game.

"Following the successful return of supporters to seven fixtures on Saturday, the EFL is disappointed at yesterday’s decision to suspend plans for the return of fans to matches,” he said.

"Of course we recognise that the UK is facing a significant public health crisis and that sport has to play its part in helping the Government manage the spread of the virus at this difficult time.

"This is why over many months we have helped the Government devise, refine and pilot stringent stadium protocols designed to keep supporters safe.

"Staging professional football matches is one of the most heavily regulated areas of crowd management and any supporters attending EFL fixtures, in vastly reduced numbers, would have been required to adhere to social distancing and the rule of six.

"Therefore we are deeply frustrated that we will not be able to continue this work and, in doing so, gather the evidence to show that crowds can return safely to football and become an important financial lifeline for our clubs.

"As a matter of urgency we now need to understand what the Government’s roadmap is for getting supporters back into stadiums as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.

"With extended measures introduced, it is imperative that the financial issues facing our clubs are addressed quickly. EFL clubs lost £50 million last season as a result of playing matches behind closed doors or curtailing the season and stand to lose a further £200 million in 2020/21 should we be required to play the whole season without supporters in grounds.

"I am encouraged that the Government has recognised the need for urgent financial assistance for sport and discussions will continue with DCMS and the Premier League.

"We remain optimistic that a solution will be found but we should also be very clear that if it is not, then the outlook for many clubs in the period ahead will be very challenging."

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