Return to English soccer won’t be business as usual

• With 2,000 fans allowed back into stadiums in Tier 2 locations in England, soccer clubs have the unenviable task of trying to decide which supporters get a golden ticket this Christmas.

It was news that fans were waiting for as they wondered which tier their area of the country would be in after the national lockdown ends on Wednesday as, among other things, it would determine how many would be able to return to each stadium.

No Premier or Football League clubs fall into Tier 1 of the government’s new system, while 10 of the country’s top flight clubs cannot welcome any fans back at all after finding themselves in the most restrictive Tier 3.

However, 10 Premier League clubs and 34 Football League teams can have 2,000 fans for each match from next week. The problem is how to distribute the limited number of tickets.

The first game involving a Premier League club with fans in attendance will be Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Rapid Vienna next Thursday, with the club confirming tickets will be available on a “first come, first served” priority sale.

Chelsea and West Ham United, both under London Tier 2 restrictions, are at home on Dec. 5 but have yet to announce ticketing.

Liverpool is another area that benefits from being in Tier 2, with the club able to host fans against Wolverhampton on Dec. 6.

Only season ticket-holders or members with sufficient credits, from the Liverpool City region, will be allowed to apply for 75 per cent of the 2,000 tickets, with the rest going to hospitality.

Meanwhile, in the world of rugby, the governing RFU has said that 400 of the tickets for England’s final Autumn Nations Cup match will be given free to local NHS workers.

Fans expecting anything like a normal festive day out are in for a rude awakening.

Liverpool is advising ticketed fans to get a COVID-19 test, while Liverpool’s director of public health, Matthew Ashton, also called for supporters to make testing part of their routine before matches.

Tottenham Hotspur, which can have fans back for the north London derby against Arsenal on Dec. 6, calls for timed entry of fans to avoid congestion at the turnstiles plus enhanced cleaning measures.