Crowds are set to be able to attend sporting events for the first time since March later this month as the government plans for a socially-distanced return of spectators to sports grounds by October.
The World Snooker Championship, the Glorious Goodwood horse racing festival and two county cricket friendly matches have been selected as pilot events.
If these tests are successful, the government is hoping to allow a restricted number of spectators to return to sports venues from October 1st. Mass gatherings at sports stadiums have been prohibited since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Surrey confirmed their friendly match against Middlesex at the Oval on July 26th-27th would be one of the events, with the World Snooker Championship due to begin on July 31st.
Spectators are set to be allowed to attend Goodwood on August 1st.
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said: “For months millions of us have felt the void of being unable to go to the match to support our team or attend a top-class sporting event.
“So I am pleased that we are now able to move forward with a plan to help venues safely reopen their doors to fans.
“I recognise that not every sport, team or club has the benefit of huge commercial revenue, and it is often their dedicated fans that are the lifeblood which helps keep them going. By working closely with sports and medical experts, these pilots will help ensure the safe return of fans to stadia.
“Although it will remain some time before venues are full to capacity, this is a major step in the right direction for the resumption of live spectator sport across the country.”
Attendance at sporting events for the foreseeable future will be subject to a number of strict conditions.
These include venues being ordered to provide information on measures being taken to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 infection, a code of behaviour for spectators advising them to take a responsible approach, such as staying away if suffering from any symptoms of the virus.
There will also need to be careful control of seat bookings to ensure social distancing is observed, measures taken to limit the use of public transport by spectators and the provision of additional hygiene facilities.
A statement from the Racecourse Association said: “This is potentially an important step forward in the sporting economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the industry is grateful for the support of DCMS in selecting horse racing to be one of the sports to host a pilot event, two months after we returned safely behind closed doors.
“The RCA-led Stage 5 industry working group have also worked tirelessly in recent weeks to enable this pilot event to take place, reflecting the unique characteristics of racecourses as outdoor sporting venues.”
The stage five guidance on spectators returning to sports events states that the capacity allowed in a venue will vary depending on its layout, rather than being set at a fixed percentage.
As well as the venue itself, consideration must also be given by event organisers to how safe it is for spectators to access the venue.
The guidance states that “competition venue capacity will be significantly reduced from normal safe capacity”.
Competition organisers will need to use the detailed guidance set to be published by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) when calculating the revised capacity of venues.
They will also need to keep the details of spectators on file for 21 days to assist with testing and tracing individuals in the event of any subsequent positive tests, and ensure that group bookings of tickets only contain people from within the same household or a permitted bubble.
A Surrey statement read: “Surrey County Cricket Club is looking forward to working with the government to enable a limited return of Members to the Kia Oval next weekend.
“The two-day friendly match between Surrey and Middlesex, on Sunday 26th and Monday 27th July, was today named by the government — alongside Glorious Goodwood and the World Snooker Championship — as one of the pilot events for the return of spectators to elite sports venues.
“The Club look forward to working with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority over the coming days and will make an announcement when arrangements have been finalised.”
