Celtic are locked in talks with the Scottish Rugby Union about a plan to fast-track the safe return of fans to spectator sport.
Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell and SRU chief operating officer Dominic McKay have joined forces in an attempt to win government approval for Celtic Park and BT Murrayfield to be used to stage bio-secure trials outlining how supporters can get safely back into their seats.
And they hope successive "test events" could lead to padlocks coming off the turnstiles as early as August, when the SPFL top-flight season is scheduled to get under way behind closed doors.
Rugby also restarts later that month with Murrayfield staging back-to-back Pro 14 derbies between Edinburgh and Glasgow. And McKay believes those games could be played in front of limited, socially-distancing crowds.
Discussions have also taken place with Hibs and Hearts about starting the new season at the home of rugby.
Last week McKay and SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell were appointed to a 17-strong Events Industry Advisory Group, supported by Visit Scotland, who made urgent representation to Holyrood ahead of today’s review of the lockdown restrictions by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Those talks will continue with McKay’s proposal to open up the doors of Celtic Park and Murrayfield potentially as soon as next month. A source said: “Discussions between Celtic and the SRU have been very positive. It’s all about finding solutions and offering those solutions up to the Government.
“What they’re trying to do is prove supporters can be safely returned to both grounds operating a bubble environment. It’s about laying out the measures that would have to be taken in terms of staggered arrivals, showing fans to their seats, social distancing, face masks and hand sanitising.
“The plan would be to hold test events at both venues, with very limited numbers, to show how it can work.
“If the government like what they see it could be scaled up to allow more supporters in over time. But it does seem as if getting fans back to football and rugby matches in Scotland by August is a realistic target.
“And it’s important those in charge of sport in this country work together to help create confidence among the public and prove we can provide them with a safe environment.”
Murrayfield bosses have already calculated that under the current rules of two-metre distancing, crowds of up to 14,000 could be safely reintroduced.
That number would soar to 34,000 if the government follow the WHO one-metre recommendation. But the trial runs would initially involve no more than 1000 supporters in two grounds with more than 60,000 capacity.
Celtic have already offered supporters virtual season tickets, allowing them to watch live streams from their living rooms for as long as health restrictions keep them locked out
But this new move comes at a time when fans are returning to games around Europe, with 17 countries already approving plans to bring supporters back in limited numbers.
In France, although the 2019-20Ligue 1 campaign was brought to an end, the authorities are discussing plans to reschedule the national cup final in Paris in July with as many as 20,000 fans.
On Wednesday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin insisted fans could be back inside stadia all around Europe.
He said: “I am delighted we are able to resume almost all of our competitions. I am confident that we will not have to endure the fans’ absence for long and that they will be allowed into stadiums sooner rather than later.”
It is against this fast-moving backdrop that Lawwell and McKay believe they can build a strong case for Scottish sport to begin unlocking its doors.
Our source added: “There have been a lot of gloomy predictions made with some saying supporters may not be allowed back into games until the turn of the year.
“That would have a catastrophic impact all round. So it’s really up to sport in this country to provide solutions and proof that there is no need for that nightmare scenario to become reality.”
