Premier League Plans for Fans’ Return Face British Government Review

Premier League plans to welcome supporters back into stadiums from early October have been thrown into doubt after the British government announced a review of its timetable for reopening sports venues.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said pilot events scheduled for September would be limited to a maximum of 1,000 spectators as authorities responded to a rise in coronavirus cases.

“We must revise plans to pilot larger audiences in venues later this month and review our intention to return audiences to stadiums from Oct. 1,” Johnson said.

He added that the programme would not necessarily be abandoned but would have to be scaled back and reassessed.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden also said changes to the plans would be announced, while maintaining the government’s ambition of allowing crowds to return closer to normal levels by Christmas.

The new Premier League season was due to begin behind closed doors, continuing the arrangement used after football resumed following the coronavirus shutdown.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said clubs were prepared to continue staging test events if the government allowed them to proceed.

“We are always subject to a government decision and they haven’t made that decision yet,” Masters said.

He added that the Premier League and its clubs were ready to open stadium turnstiles from October 1 if permission was granted.

Masters said the experience of restarting football during the pandemic had demonstrated the importance of flexibility as circumstances changed.

He also warned that continuing to play without supporters would have serious financial consequences across English football.

According to Masters, every round of matches without fans resulted in significant losses for clubs throughout the football pyramid.

He added that the economic impact extended beyond matchday income, estimating that each Premier League fixture generated about £20 million for local and national economies.