Scunthorpe chairman Peter Swann says he hopes the 2020/21 season could get under way in September and that there is talk that there will be “some semblance of crowds” at matches.

With discussions still ongoing regarding the end of 2019/20, when the following campaign might get started has remained unclear, although it has been anticipated that the early stages would be played behind closed doors.

However, Swann, chairman of the Iron, who are currently 20th in League Two, is hopeful that 2020/21 can begin in September with talks having taken place regarding the presence of some fans at his club's 9,088-capacity Glanford Park.

“The beginning of August will be difficult, so you are probably looking at September at the earliest which is another three months,” Swann told Scunthorpe Live.

“That is going to be tough for clubs to survive. If it’s the beginning of September, most clubs in this division will need money in July to help get us through until then.

“We are hoping it is September — and there is also talk of some semblance of crowds coming back if we can get our stadium in a position to do that.

“We will work as hard as we can in the coming months to have something in place so we can keep some sort of distance between the fans.

“At least if we can get 2,000 in, or even 2,500 in, it’s a big help — and that is a possibility. It is something we have really got to look at.

“We have got the car parking space to have one every other space to keep people apart. I am sure we can put barriers up and systems in place so people can into the ground OK.

“We are going to work as hard as we can but, at the moment, we are just sitting here haemorrhaging money because nobody is making a decision and that is frustrating for us.

“We are waiting to see what happens, but the frustration is at the time it has taken to get where we are now.

“I felt we could have done this very early on. There was never going to be an opportunity for League Two to get back and play because of the cost involved.

“The National League made their decision very early because of financial reasons, and perhaps we should have done that.”

Photo: TWTD

ArnieM added 19:21 - May 27 I think he's being a bit optimist tbh . I personally cant see this happening until around December / January time...Fans starved of their football ill be champing at the bit to return to grounds....how can you possibly isolate people . I think Sept will be too early myself. What do others feel ?
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rgp1 added 20:45 - May 27 @ Arnie M you may be right , however come September we may see a tsunami of business failures! And this I feel could be a deciding factor ( by the way I am playing devils advocate) but if even a small club goes to the wall then a plethora of businesses will go with. If that be the case I'd like to think that HM treasury have done their sums when it comes to supporting potentially millions of unemployed, who in turn will struggle to find employment elsewhere.

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Bert added 21:20 - May 27 If the next season starts in September or October without cup games all season, no reason why fixtures could not be completed by May 2021. If a risk assessment deems that fans can return even better. No fans for many clubs means no future. If push comes to shove I could see Portman Road limiting attendance to a third of the capacity without away fans. Would fans sit three seats apart ? With season ticket holders probably around the 10,000 mark they would get priority. No bars. No food. Queuing at the turnstiles 2 metres apart ? Feasible ?

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scooby added 21:24 - May 27 I don't know why the whole league just don't call the season off right now. That way we can have a full season next season and we only ruin one season and not two
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NorthLondonBlue2 added 23:21 - May 27 I agree, Bert. I don't see why, with appropriate distancing between fans, we couldn't allow some into the ground. Also, with alcohol gel at the entry and exit points, mandatory masks etc. It could be done.
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peaky69 added 03:13 - May 28 Bert, NorthLondon, the cost of sanitising the stadium for starters. BYO your own plastic seat covers perhaps.
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Radlett_blue added 08:27 - May 28 The elephant in the room is the impossibility of Football League clubs continuing to pay their players without any gate revenue. Players need to take huge pay cuts of the clubs won's survive.
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Cheshire_Blue added 11:00 - May 28 The first step should be to abandon the Mickey Mouse cup competitions for next season which no one takes seriously anyway.
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