Following the news that a small number of fans are set to be allowed back into sporting stadiums across England, the EFL have released a statement, welcoming the move.
Exit analysis shows that those who attended pilot fixtures felt overwhelmingly safe and adhered to the necessary protocols and the EFL will continue its work with Clubs to ensure that they have the most up to-date safety procedures in place to welcome supporters back as soon as the relevant restrictions are lifted.
In a statement to Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that a maximum of four-thousand fans are set to be allowed to attend outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas when the national lockdown in England ends on Wednesday, 2nd December.
The PM confirmed that up to two-thousand fans will be allowed in tier two areas but zero in tier three, with MPs set to vote on the matter later in the week.
The measures are set to be part of the government's new package of Covid-19 restrictions in England with the devolved authorities set to announce their own measures in due course.
In a statement, released via an official spokesperson, the EFL said; The EFL welcomes today's decision by the Government to allow the return of supporters, capped at 4,000 in tier land 2,000 in tier 2 when the national lockdown ends next week. We now look forward to the re-opening of some EFL Club stadiums as we finally welcome back fans after eight long months away.
Whilst today's news is subject to regional restrictions, it is an important step in achieving a return to normal, alongside it being crucial to addressing the significant revenue gap left by a lack of spectators and other revenue streams as a result of the pandemic.
The restrictions in place does mean that not all Clubs will get the opportunity straight away to re-open their turnstiles and we still await further guidance from DCMS to understand what areas will be placed in which tier which will not be available until later this week. In the meantime we are doing all we can to ensure we are ready to return when allowed to do so.
Having worked closely in developing the appropriate safety guidance in conjunction with DCMS and the SGSA, alongside undertaking a series of pilot events hosting up to 1,000 spectators in September, EFL Clubs have already demonstrated that they are well positioned to deliver the safe return of fans.