Over the weekend, and today, we have seen more reports of the footballing world taking a step forward in attempts to restart, or define what will happen with the season.
Today, the Premier League started a plan that they have named ‘Project Restart’, and if the Premier League are starting to push plans forward, then the EFL won’t be far behind. So what is this project. It is a way for clubs to move towards the restart of the league, earmarked for the 8th June. For this to work, players would need to be back in training by 18th May.
This is something that clubs already have in mind, with Arsenal, Brighton and West Ham, opening their respective training grounds, for players to work by themselves. Although the details for Brighton and West Ham have yet to be fully outlined, Arsenal have given how they plan on this working. Players will be in on a rota, in groups of 5, assigned their own ball, and own pitch to ensure no-one breaks social distance rules. However clubs in the bottom tier of the EFL don’t have the luxury of having several pitches to be able to split players up.
Teams in Europe are also gearing up for a return to action, with Serie A announcing players can return individually on 4th May, with group training due to resume on 18th May. In Germany, the Bundesliga are hoping to resume games behind closed doors in May.
It still does leave the question of when fans will be able to attend matches, and after hearing from Leigh Pomlett today, saying that the club are ready to put matches out for free on iFollow for season ticket holders, and the option to pay for other fans, it does show that clubs are recognising that the prospect of football returning is slowly becoming a realistic one, even if it is just a glimmer.
