The Government is reportedly drawing up plans which could see a limited number of fans return to Premier League and EFL stadia in December.
According to the Daily Mail, officials at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have submitted proposals to the Cabinet Office which, once the current lockdown is lifted, would allow supporters to watch matches from the terraces in areas of the country where coronavirus infections are low.
It’s reported that fans in tier one and two areas could attend games subject to certain stipulations. Suffolk was in tier one, although close to tier two, prior to the current lockdown, however, it’s not yet clear which grounds would fall into the lower tiers with a new four-tier system under discussion. The lockdown is currently set to end on December 2nd.
Supporters would have to socially distance and the capacity of grounds would be greatly reduced, as was the case for the test events held in August and September with a view to fans returning in October before being put on hold by the Government as Covid-19 rates rose.
Town had a test event planned for the Rochdale game at the end of September which was abandoned only days before it was due to take place.
While the plans are still to be rubber-stamped, the football authorities are said to be buoyed by the DCMS’s approach. Cash-strapped clubs will similarly welcome the potential return of their fans with open arms.