Report reveals ‘Project Restart’ as PL looks to resume on June 8
The Premier League have drawn up a plan to resume on June 8 which has been revealed to its member clubs, according to reports.
The situation in Italy will give hope to football fans around the world as Italian football took a tentative step towards returning.
Prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced that sports teams would be allowed to resume group training from May 18 with athletes allowed to begin training individually from May 4 including travelling away from home for sessions.
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In England the option of voiding the competition has been taken below National League level and for all women’s football beyond the Championship, with Holland’s Eredivisie taking that route on Friday and Belgium’s Pro League awaiting ratification of a similar decision.
And now Matt Lawton has written in The Times that the Premier League ‘has devised “Project Restart”, a plan for the season to resume on June 8 behind closed doors at “approved stadiums”, which it unveiled to its clubs at a meeting on April 17.’
Lawton cites ‘a shift’ in the Government’s stance on bringing football back as they look to deliver ‘some positivity’ to the public during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ultimately, the Premier League will need ‘government approval’ before giving the green light to any clubs but the report claims that a source has told them there ‘will be a ‘“ramping up” this week, with Premier League clubs returning to their training grounds’.
Lawton in The Times adds:
‘In all likelihood that means not all 20 Premier League grounds would be used but a conversation with the clubs, and the subject of whether the stadiums need to be neutral, has yet to be concluded.
‘It will continue at the next shareholders’ meeting on May 1, with a decision reached based on guidance from the government, the police and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
‘Within that Project Restart plan there is a competition schedule document that outlines the need for three weeks’ training, a window between June 8 and July 27 for the remaining matches of 2019-20 season and a date of August 22 for the start of next season.
‘But crucial to that happening is creating a match-day environment that limits the risk to all those who attend these behind-closed-doors events and the Premier League clubs were presented with the challenges at that previous shareholders’ meeting.
‘The “return to play” protocol they were shown was detailed but, insiders say, still depends heavily on the availability of tests. At the moment the Premier League has not made any commitment beyond stating the need for screening and testing protocols on arrival at every game.
‘Checks will also have to take place before teams and officials even leave for the stadium, with sterile environments created for travelling and a “sterile route” that enables personnel to transfer from transportation to the dressing room.
‘There would need to be an entire Behind Closed Doors protocol, designed to limit contact beyond the unavoidable encounters that take place during the match itself.’
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