UK Government Gives Green Light to Sport Behind Close Doors From June 1

No competitive sport has taken place in the UK since March as the country deals with the Coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 38,000 people in the UK.

After a near three-month shutdown, the United Kingdom government has given the green light for sport in the country to return from June 1 behind closed doors. The development comes as a boost for the lucrative English cricket and football competitions in particular who have all been looking for a restart within the next two months.

The first major live event is expected to be the 2000 Guineas Stakes horse race at Newmarket on June 6. “The wait is over. Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled environments,” said British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden in a document published by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Strict guidelines were also published in the document which included a ban on spectators and an insistence on adhering to social distancing norms as far as possible. No competitive sport has taken place in UK since March as the country deals with the Coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 38,000 people in the UK.

“This guidance provides the safe framework for sports to resume competitions behind closed doors. It is now up to individual sports to confirm they can meet these protocols and decide when it’s right for them to restart.”

The Premier League in its statement said that it ‘welcomes’ the government’s decision. “The Premier League welcomes the government’s announcement today,” a statement from the league said. “All major sports, including the Premier League, have been working with DCMS to produce the stage three protocol.

The government’s stage three guidance for staging competitive sporting events includes conditions such as players travelling alone to venues, being screened for coronavirus symptoms and maintaining social distancing where possible.

The England and Wales Cricket Board on Friday announced a list of players who are returning to training camp which featured members of the England team including Test captain Joe Root and limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan.