It was March 11, 2020 when Liverpool fans were last allowed to sit side by side at Anfield and cheer on their beloved Reds.
The last 16 Champions League encounter with Atletico Madrid had 52,000 in attendance and soon became the focal point for much anger after governments and governing bodies deemed it appropriate to let 3,000 fans travel from Spain to the UK for the clash while fears were growing over a mystery virus that would soon see life as we know it grind to a halt.
The pandemic arrived soon after, the Atletico game the last that would be played in front of a full house at Anfield as the Premier League was postponed until June, returning in games played behind closed doors. It was a campaign that would result in Liverpool fans, who had waited 30 long years to witness another English title, being denied the chance to truly live the moment in their spiritual home.
Empty stadiums became the norm as football rebooted, and while limited numbers were allowed back before 2020 was out, a rise in cases soon put paid to that. Only on the last game of the 2020/21 season would fans get a glimpse of life after the pandemic, with 10,000 fans allowed to watch the Reds clinch third place and a Champions League spot.
But for some time the date on the horizon has been July 19 when large scale gatherings can be permitted once more, a date that gave hope to Premier League clubs that they would be able to operate as normal from next season after having to wrangle with the financial catastrophe caused by the pandemic.
And with the Premier League season due to kick off on August 14, and the Reds' first home game seven days later on the 21st, the green light has been given for capacity crowds to return in advance of that date, meaning that Liverpool can plan for an full Anfield in fine voice once again, 18 months on from when last it was seen.
The Government have confirmed that rules around social distancing will be lifted on July 19, and in another boost to clubs and fans that there will be no requirement to produce COVID passports when turnstiles fully reopen, and with masks to be a matter of personal preference rather than a legal requirement.
For clubs there is now a clearer path ahead in terms of being able to accurately plan for what comes next, with that kind of security likely to mean that investors are more emboldened to make a move.
In Liverpool's case, owners Fenway Sports Group brought on board private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners back in March, selling 11 per cent of the overall FSG operation to the Gerry Cardinale-led firm.
In the US, where FSG have their base of operations for principal owner John W. Henry and Liverpool chairman Tom Werner, they have felt the effects of the pandemic through their other sporting entity, the Boston Red Sox, with the shuttering of stadia nationwide meaning that the team's most vital financial lifeblood, the matchday revenue, was wiped out almost overnight.
But at the end of May there was good news from their home state of Massachusetts approval was given to open Fenway Park to full capacity, with no requirement to wear a mask.
The bounce back wasn't immediate as bad weather and some hesitation from some fans to return to mass events holding back on them achieving full capacity in the first month, with crowds around 15,000 down on the full capacity of 37,731.
But in recent weeks there has been more confidence, with near capacity crowds seen for the triple header with the New York Yankees between June 25 and 27, and almost 28,000 for the game with the Kansas City Royals on July 1. The average attendance over the past decade at Fenway Park sits roughly at around 36,000 per game.
But while FSG have had to bring around such a seismic change during the season they couldn't have expected to have hoards of fans eager to come back to a normal way of living just yet, there was still some reluctance do make that leap. But in Liverpool's case, with the appetite to come back enormous and several weeks of pre-season and further progress to be made with the vaccination rollout, as well as time for the public to become accustomed to a move back to life without COVID restrictions it is expected that the Anfield roar will be one that is made by a full house from August 21.
For Jurgen Klopp and his players it is of huge importance, the lack of fans visibly impacted them during their mid-season slump last season. It's hard to imagine that some of those results occurred if there was a full house at Anfield.
But for decision makers at the club it is an enormous boost. It provides some kind of certainty over future earnings, allowing for the matchday revenue that has been absent for the whole of the 2020/21 season to return to near normal levels. It also allows them to engage with commercial partners and offer things that they simply couldn't for the past year and a half. Hospitality, something that brought in around £12m per year for the Reds once they completed the Main Stand redevelopment, able to return and show itself on the Liverpool books.
Football couldn't exist permanently in the state of flux in which it found itself. Having security over a return means that they can now plan as a club and as a business. In order for success to arrive on the pitch it has to be underpinned by what goes on off it.
