In the wake of the global pandemic, there was no question that live entertainment, including sport, needed to stop in order to support and protect communities against further spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Since the national lockdowns began, sports clubs, associations, and venues have pondered and planned what live events may look like post-lockdown. This is an unenviable task, with our understanding of the virus and government regulations changing daily.
We have now started to see the first signs of major sport returning; it began with Germany’s Bundesliga football league in mid-May and, more recently, Premier League football and Royal Ascot horse racing in mid-June. These events each come with their own stories of protective measures such as disinfected balls, face masks, and team quarantines.
However, there is one striking omission that no amount of TV wizardry can hide… there are no fans. The chants, the cheers, the boos, the claps, no longer exist - a fundamental ingredient of events that we and the competitors have become so accustomed to. Sport without fans is like a gluten-free cake from that artisan bakery on the corner; it looks like it's going to be great, but when you bite into it, it tastes like a dry, sub-par imitation of the original.
The challenge is, the very thing that creates such an electric atmosphere at live events, is the very thing that risks the spread of Coronavirus – lots of people packed together. Some public health experts are currently warning that, without a vaccine, attending live events will not come back until at least 2021 because of the distancing risk combined with the non-essential nature of live entertainment.
This decision will ultimately be up to individual governments but may also be driven by the initiative sports organisations and venues demonstrate on how they can operate in a safe way. Some key things we expect to see are:
- Socially distanced spectating - reduced venue capacity and spaced seating/viewing
- Crowd management – strategies such as one-way routing and crowd supervision into and out of the venue will need to be carefully managed to ensure social distancing
- Temperature checks – individual checks of all visitors on arrival and management of those who show symptoms
- Protective equipment – face masks will likely be mandatory and sanitation such as hand-washing facilities and sanitiser dispensers plentifully available
- Cleaning – venues will need to clean all common surfaces efficiently and effectively between each event (which is a huge undertaking for large venues)
- Indoors/outdoors - sunlight appears to rapidly inactivate coronavirus in the right conditions and reduce transmission rates, so outdoor venues may get priority
- Crowd limits – regardless of venue size, there will likely be a maximum visitor limit so that governments can monitor the impact of events. This indicates that smaller events will be the first to open
It is clear that the early stages of returning to live events is going to be somewhat different. Venues will rely on fans to be patient and understanding that movement will be more restricted and slower because of protective measures put in place. And, sure, it may seem a little strange having empty seats either side of you but, then again, it’s the same strategy of seat selection that anybody who ever went to the cinema attempts.
Ultimately, the safety of visitors and their families and communities must always be the first priority; but the entertainment industry has innovation and creativity at its very heart, and we believe that organisers will find new and effective ways to get us back to live sports events in a safe and balanced way before the end of this year. And whilst right now we my not know the exact when, one thing we can be sure of… we can’t wait to be there!