Following last month’s announcement of a roadmap for the UK to exit lockdown, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced it will be staging approximately 12 sporting and cultural pilot events.
The FA Cup Final takes place at Wembley Stadium on 15 May and the DCMS is exploring the possibility of up to 20,000 fans to be in attendance. In February’s announcement, it was understood the limit for stadiums would be 10,000 spectators, but the DCMS has confirmed that some pilots will include spectators who are not socially distanced.
All attendees will be required to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test prior to the event and will then be tested again afterwards.
Events will also test a range of safety interventions such as the layout of the venue, face masks, and ventilation systems, as well as travel to and from the venue.
The Premier League is looking to quickly follow suit and making plans for fans to attend matches in the final two rounds of the season, scheduled to take place between 18-20 May.
Outside of football, the World Snooker Championship is also a pilot contender, due to take place from 17 April – 03 May at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said “These test events will be crucial in finding ways to get fans and audiences back in safely without social distancing. We want to get the people back to enjoying what they love and ensure some of our most important growth industries get back on their feet.”
Data from the pilots will be analysed to provide rules and guidelines ready for when the government lifts limits on social contact, which is expected to be on 21 June.
Organisers of this summer’s Wimbledon championships also announced they expect to go ahead on 28 June with a reduced capacity crowd. The famous “queue” for last-minute tickets won’t be available this year, with all ticket sales taking place online.