IN BRIEF EPL clubs can play at own stadiums

English Premier League clubs could be allowed to complete the season at their own stadiums after police pulled back on their insistence that neutral venues were the only safe way of staging games during the coronavirus pandemic.

The league’s leadership held talks with police on Monday night after being told by the 20 clubs that they wanted to be able to play at home, even though fans will not be allowed inside.

Mark Roberts, the head of football policing in England, had been concerned supporters would still gather outside stadiums and place an additional burden on resources as lockdown measures are eased.

But Roberts has softened his stance after “positive” talks with the league and government.

“We will be jointly exploring a range of options to identify a way forward, which minimizes any risks to public safety and unnecessary pressure on public services, but facilitates a sensible restart to the season, to support the economic and morale benefits associated with the sport,” Roberts said.

But, with hundreds of people still dying from the virus each day, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was too early for games to be staged again in the capital which contains five Premier League clubs.

The government is planning to release a strategy this week that allows players to resume group training even as social distancing is being encouraged in wider society.

Baseball: The Mariners informed its personnel working under uniform employee contracts that certain employees will have a fivemonth reduction in pay, but there will be no furloughs or layoffs through Oct. 31. The pay reductions of at least 20% are for staff making $60,000 or more.

Colleges: The California Collegiate Athletic Association suspended all fall sports for the upcoming year. The NCAA Division II conference currently has 13 members but will lose one with UC San Diego moving to Division I. The remaining 12 members are all part of the California State University

system . ... The Mid-American Conference is eliminating postseason tournaments in eight sports, including baseball and softball, and men’s and women’s basketball are among nine sports that will have postseasons scaled back. The MAC announced the cost-cutting move in response to the financial crisis being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Postseason tournaments will also be discontinued in field hockey, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s soccer. Champions in the 12-team conference will be determined by regular-season results in sports without postseason tournaments. Men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will only include the top eight teams in the final regularseason standings. Regular-season basketball schedules will increase to 20 conference games and opening round, on-campus tournament games will be eliminated. Volleyball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field and men’s and women’s golf will also have postseasons with fewer participants. The postseason changes cover the next four seasons and will be “evaluated as the economic situation stabilizes and improves,” the conference said in a statement . ... Alabama State named former NBA point guard Mo Williams as its men’s basketball coach. Williams, 37, has been an assistant under Mark Gottfried at California State University at Northridge. Williams played for Gottfried at Alabama.

Golf: The PGA of America announced that Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will host the 2030 PGA Championship. Southern Hills, which has hosted seven majors, also will host the 2021 Senior PGA Championship . ... Golf Channel will televise a one-hour special titled “Tiger Slam,” which chronicles Woods winning all four majors in a span of 294 days in 2000 and 2001. It will be shown May 24, two hours after Woods is seen in live competition for the first time in three months as part of a made-for-TV exhibition to benefit COVID-19 charities with Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.