Premier
League chief executive Richard Masters has described the test event for the
partial return of supporters as “very encouraging” following Brighton's
friendly with Chelsea at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton admitted 2,524 supporters for Saturday's 1-1 pre-season friendly
draw - the first football match to admit fans since a ban on mass gatherings
was introduced in March.
The game was part of a raft of pilot events, across several sports, approved
by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for a phased return
of spectators.
"Brighton & Hove Albion did a fantastic job at their test event for the
return of supporters and it was great to see fans in a Premier League
stadium for the first time since March," Masters said.
"The success of having 2,500 supporters in the Amex was very encouraging and
we are committed to having full stadia as soon as possible, with safety
always our priority. We are working hard alongside our clubs, the Government
and the safety authorities to achieve this."
Strict social distancing measures were in place around the ground and for
seating in the sparsely populated stands, with hand sanitisation points on
the approaches to the Premier League ground.
Face coverings were also required by fans while they were queuing to get in
and within the stadium, but not while seated.
A digital match ticket was scanned for entry into the stadium, with cashless
transactions at kiosks and there was signage reminding attending fans of the
need to regularly wash hands.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber added: "We are delighted - it went as
well as it possibly could have.
"Credit to our fans - they followed the guidelines, listened to requests
from our stewards and, even at the end, when they stayed on to listen to the
managers' pitchside interviews on our stadium screens, they remained in
their seats and observed social distancing."
On Sunday the Government announced the formation of the Sport Tech
Innovation Group, which will include the Premier League and other sporting
bodies, to explore high-tech solutions to allow more fans into stadiums.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden,
said this weekend marked "an important milestone" in the recovery of sport.
"I am doing everything I can to get fans back in the stands, following the
teams and enjoying the sports they love," he added. "Sport's economic health
depends on their return to stadiums, too.
"I commend the clubs, players, stewards, emergency services and everyone
else for their hard work to get us this far. We have blown the starting
whistle on fans returning safely, but our work is not done until every fan
is back where they belong."
Martyn Henderson, Chief Executive of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority,
added: "It's fantastic to see fans return to watch football. Bringing fans
back into grounds while maintaining social distancing will bring new
challenges. It's great to see fans adapt to the new circumstances.
"Our purpose is, and always will be, ensuring fans can watch live sport
safely. We are delighted that our guidance provides sports grounds with the
knowledge and support they need to plan for the safe return of fans with
confidence."
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