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The Premier League, EFL, FA, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship have written an open letter imploring the government to allow fans to return safely to the stadiums.
Premier League Executive Director Richard Masters, his EFL counterpart David Baldwin, FA Executive Director Mark Bullingham, and FA Director of Professional Women’s Play Kelly Simmons signed the letter calling for the return of the test program and consistency in government policy regarding the reopening of certain venues and events.
Successful pilot events were expected to see the turnstiles reopened on a limited basis beginning Oct. 1, but those plans were put on hold in the wake of a national surge in coronavirus cases.
Richard Masters, Premier League Executive Director
National League clubs received an offer of financial assistance from the government to help them start the season last weekend, while a support package for the three divisions below the Premier League remains the subject of ongoing dialogue.
The EFL also asked people on Twitter to sign a petition asking the government to allow fans to return to stadiums. The tweet was retweeted by various EFL clubs, as well as Fleetwood boss Joey Barton.
The petition surpassed 103,000 signatures just before 9pm on Tuesday, meaning that Parliament must now consider the issue for debate.
The governing bodies’ open letter states that fans should be allowed to return after 11 recent successful test events and says clubs “are considering measures both at the stadium and at the approach that will alleviate any safety concerns. of the fans “, with plans. instead for on-field spectators traveling to venues.
The various governing bodies also say they will continue to work with scientists and medical experts to promote new approaches that “make sure stadiums are safe for COVID” in the future.
2,500 fans watched Brighton’s pre-season friendly against Chelsea on 29 August
While the letter states that “the health of the nation remains our top priority,” it calls for the return of supporters for the good of local communities and economies and wants the government to treat sport “with the same fairness as others. activities that are currently allowed to receive viewers. “.
The full letter says …
The Premier League, EFL, FA, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship want to assure all fans that together we are fully committed to their safe return to the football fields as soon as possible.
The health of the nation remains our top priority, and for many months we have been working with experts to make our grounds as safe, if not safer, than any other public activity currently permitted. And we are consulting with the Association of Soccer Fans to keep them updated every step of the way.
We know that attending games can play a positive role in people’s lives during these difficult times. And the last few months have shown how clubs can still feel the support of their fans. Even when you haven’t been able to get together, you and your clubs have found ways to make a difference in your communities, with clubs delivering food packages, participating in phone calls and online conversations with fans, the elderly and vulnerable, and on-the-go services and programs. online to make a difference in challenging and unprecedented circumstances.
But we all know that football is not the same without fans. All players and administrators lack the direct connection to you and the impact you have on our games.
With the EFL, Premier League, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship already hosting 11 successful test events recently, we have proven that we can deliver matches safely. The sooner we can return, the sooner we can bring communities together and support local jobs, livelihoods, regional businesses and also the national economy.
We will continue to urge the Government to allow us to return fans to the stadiums safely. It is positive progress that major art and music venues have been told that they can host events indoors with social distancing. And now soccer should be able to do the same, in highly regulated and managed outdoor environments.
In addition, football representatives are active members of the Government’s Sports Technology and Innovation Group, as well as participating in its ‘Moonshot’ massive testing project to open up the economy. And in light of the postponement of trial events, we will intensify our efforts to pioneer new approaches, working with epidemiologists, scientists, and medical experts in areas such as public health, clinical processes, and occupational hygiene. This will ensure stadiums are safe from COVID by considering screening and hygiene best practices to ensure fans and the general public are safe and drive the government’s sporting plans to move faster.
Stadium environments can be modified and managed with care. Measures could include screening spectators before they enter the field, installing temperature controls, requiring the use of masks, one-way systems and providing a code of conduct for all attendees at a day. All of this will be enhanced by deep cleaning practices to help further reduce the risk of virus transmission.
Clubs want to be proactive in this matter and are considering measures both in the stadium and in focus that will alleviate any concerns regarding fan safety. From a travel perspective, clubs will work closely with experts and local authorities to model relevant solutions for each stadium to ease pressure on public transport, while additional parking facilities could be available for a larger proportion of you can travel by private car or bicycle.
We are determined to identify a way forward with the government. We need clarity for our clubs and for you as fans as to what the roadmap for change is in this area. We all know why caution is needed, and we ask the government for consistency in its policy so that sport is treated with the same fairness as other activities that are currently allowed to receive spectators.
Therefore, we will continue to urge the relevant authorities to allow us, together, to use innovative ways to get fans safely to the soccer fields, beginning with the return of the test event program. If we do so, the benefits will not only be felt by the fans, but also by the entire society and the economy.
Richard Masters, Premier League Executive Director
David Baldwin, CEO of EFL
Mark Bullingham, FA Executive Director
Kelly Simmons, FA Women’s Pro Game Director
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