Newcastle to vote on phase two of Project Restart plan
NEWCASTLE United will vote on implementing phase two of Project Restart when Premier League clubs meet this week.
Clubs in top-flight voted unanimously on Monday in favour of a return to socially distanced training, phase one of Project Restart.
Players have since been allowed to work together, maintaining a two metre distance at all times, in groups of five for 75-minutes a session, and have also been tested for Covid-19 during the process.
Out of the 746 tests completed so far, only six came back positive, a result which was seen as a huge boost for Project Restart by the Premier League and its clubs.
And now protocols for a return to full-contact training, according to a source close to the Premier League, will be voted on by Premier League shareholders at their meeting on Wednesday.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden believes that those plans may even be given approval by the government by the end of this week.
“I hope, subject to the sign-off by Public Health England and others, we will then later this week, very shortly, get the guidance about how we can have training in a contact environment, this is for elite sports, so they can start to build-up,” he said.
“The final stage would then be the guidelines as to whether they can resume behind closed doors. In doing that we have been guided by the health advice and I can update you again. today, for the fourth time, there were meetings between elite sports and Public Health England to find out how we can do it safely.
“If we can do it safely I’d like us to be able to get it up and running towards mid-june if that is possible.”