Wimbledon fans to be banned from filling Henman Hill
▶ Spectators are likely to be restricted to ‘seat-only’ viewing ▶ Sports urged to stop crowds ‘roaming’ as lockdown is eased
Henman Hill appears likely to be out of bounds at Wimbledon this summer as sporting events come under pressure to limit “roaming” when crowds return.
While the All England Club has yet to announce details of its protocols, one source within Whitehall raised the prospect of a “seat-only” plan that would help limit mingling.
Boris Johnson had privately told aides in January of his hopes that Wimbledon and Euro 2020 could play key roles in welcoming back fans in significant numbers.
The rapid roll-out of the vaccine has since boosted hopes that the world’s most popular tennis tournament will return with crowds on its major courts.
However, measures to limit movement outside the courts remain likely, with the Government remaining cautious that life will not be fully back to normal after restrictions are eased from June 21.
Wimbledon fortnight takes place from June 28, and organisers will face a daunting task to attempt to avoid too much congregating at the highly sociable event.
The tournament was cancelled last summer due to the pandemic, but in 2019 overall attendance was 500,397 on the 13-acre site across 13 days. Aorangi Terrace, the mostly grass-banked area known either as Henman Hill or Murray Mound, has for decades been a popular spot for spectators to congregate and watch the action on a big screen. It was originally named after Aorangi Park, the London New Zealand Rugby Club’s grounds, which were on the site until 1981.
But it became more popular when the TV screen was installed on the site following the construction of No 1 Court in 1997.
If the area were to be cordoned off, it would not be the only familiar site of a British sporting summer to be missing this year, as The Daily Telegraph disclosed last week how the traditional early-bird queue at Lord’s Cricket Ground would be banned. In a letter, Guy Lavender, chief executive and secretary of MCC, announced Covid-19 regulations mean all seats, for the first time, must be allocated by ballot. Crowds of 10,000, or a quarter of ground capacity, can return at all venues from May 17, but the Government is using pilot events to examine the prospect of increasing numbers within a month, when England’s footballers play at Wembley for Euro 2020.
Such a rapid scale up in numbers may be trickier for the All England Club, sources said. An event with full capacity crowds, reduced capacity and behind closed doors have all been discussed, Wimbledon announced immediately after the Prime Minister announced his roadmap out of Covid-19 last month.
The chaotic scenes which forced 72 tennis players to isolate ahead of the Australian Open in January have added to pressure on organisers to reassure athletes that the event will be safe.
Henman, the former British No 1, is part of the organising committee of the All England Club and was heavily involved in the decision to cancel Wimbledon last year, for the first time since the Second World War.
He told a Eurosport event last month that “we are so keen to see” crowds at Wimbledon.