After nine months, this weekend will see fans return to professional football games in some parts of England.
Following the end of the second national lockdown the Government announced a brand new set of tiered restrictions for local areas.
In Tier 1 areas clubs can have up to 4,000 fans attend matches, with up to 2,000 allowed in Tier 2.
Ever since the end of the first lockdown there has been calls to allow fans to return to games to help sides recover from the loss of revenue suffered during the crisis.
A petition gained more than 200,000 signatures calling for the Government to allow them back with initial plans to allow a return from October pushed back following a spike in cases.
Despite the announcement, a recent poll shows that around 12% of supporters believe fans shouldn’t be allowed back before a vaccine was available to them.
Age seems to be a significant factor in fans wanting to return to stadiums, with young supporters much more likely to head back to stadiums.
The playing of games behind closed doors has had a significant impact on clubs particularly those in the lower divisions.
Many have called for the Premier League to put together a financial rescue package to save the footballing pyramid with a deal reported to be agreed in principle.
The first game with supporters present will involve Greater Manchester’s Salford City as they travel to fellow League 2 side Carlisle United tonight kicking off at 7pm.
