BACK DATE!

++SPFL to tell Government they want kick-off on AUGUST 1 ++EPL clubs agree their season will resume on JUNE 17

SCOTTISH football will today present Holyrood with a plan to begin the new Premiership season behind closed doors on August 1.

English Premier League chairmen yesterday agreed to resume the current campaign in just three weeks’ time on Wednesday, June 17.

With the 2019-20 season already called to a halt in Scotland, however, the August target date has been drawn up to meet the terms of a new £125million five-year broadcasting contract with Sky Sports.

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell and Neil Doncaster of the SPFL will today hand over a detailed proposal to health and sports minister Joe FitzPatrick and National Clinical Director Jason Leitch to get Scotland’s Project Restart up and running after coronavirus cut last season short.

A six to eight-week plan developed by the SFA and SPFL Joint Response Group will be handed over to the government proposing a return-to-training protocol based on medical advice.

Players and officials would be tested for symptoms of Covid-19 twice a week, with clubs following a programme of socially distancing and individual training before

building up to smaller groups and an agreed date to resume full training. That would be followed by a return to games and, in the long term, a return to grounds for paying fans. If the Scottish Government are convinced that the plan minimises the risk of a rise in infections, the SFA will lift the suspension of football for professional clubs currently in place until June 10. The suspension of grassroots and amateur football would be reviewed later. Last night, an SFA source told Sportsmail: ‘The important thing to stress is that the six to eight-week plan is movable. If government say August 1 is too soon, then the plan still remains the same. Naturally, the SPFL want to resume playing on August 1 when the Sky deal kicks in. But the plan is the most important part.’ If a return to action in the SPFL Premiership secures the Sky Sports contract and leads to no rise in infections, the Scottish Championship could resume in October with an 18-game season. The future of League One and League Two is unclear after clubs likely to be deprived of gate income from supporters until 2021 at the earliest were informed that testing protocols for players, staff and officials could cost between £3,000 and £5,000 per club per week. With none of the financial concerns of clubs in Scotland, England’s Premier League will follow the German Bundesliga by resuming the 2019-20 campaign on June 17 when Manchester City face Arsenal and Aston Villa host Sheffield United. The Premier League confirmed the news yesterday evening following the conclusion of the league’s shareholders’ meeting. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in a statement: ‘Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday 17 June. But this date cannot be confirmed

until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is our priority. ‘Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches. ‘The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. ‘It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.’ Saturday, June 20 has been lined up as the first full round of fixtures following the Premier League’s resumption.