Premier League clubs hope to have stadiums 40% full next season

A reduced number of fans could be allowed back in stadiums next season

Football fans could be allowed back into stadiums next season at a reduced capacity, according to a report in the Independent. As Premier League clubs look at ways of bringing supporters back into the stadiums for the upcoming 2020-21 season, whenever that may be, they are weighing up the prospect of having stadiums 40% full. This would involve having at least one seat between fans at all times, meaning no hugging strangers when you score. You can probably tap shoes to celebrate at a push. The conditions upon which fans are allowed back in may differ from stadium to stadium, as fans sitting diagonally apart from one another could be more at risk of transmitting COVID-19 than those sat directly behind or side by side. Wearing a mask will obviously be compulsory everywhere. Some stadiums, depending on how densely packed their seating is, might have an even lower maximum capacity. Next season will be very strange whatever happens - it's due to start on September 12th, the League Cup might be shaken up with the top 7 potentially dropping out, and now we could see less than half-full stadiums. But nothing would be surprising given everything that has happened over the past five months. The return of fans in stadiums will be crucial for teams in the lower divisions of the EFL, who rely on matchday revenue for a majority of their income, and have therefore not been able to resume playing with no fans in the stadium.