The J.League plans to resume its suspended regular season for the first division on May 9, one month later than most recently planned, it was decided on Wednesday. The league will also institute a policy to achieve social distancing between fans in the stadiums.
The pro soccer league will get back in action in stages, starting with its third division (J3) kicking off on April 25. This will be followed by the second tier (J2) on May 2 and the top division (J1) a week later.
The league had set a target date of April 3 for resuming the season, but was forced to abandon that plan. One round of matches was played in late February before the season was suspended.
While the resumption of matches will be dependent on developments regarding the spread of the new coronavirus, the league is planning measures to minimize exposure. This would include ensuring space between fans to avoid having dense crowds in the stadiums.
Presidents and other officials from the 56 clubs across the country, who form the planning committee, agreed on the new starting dates during an internet conference,
A panel of experts set up by the J.League and its pro baseball counterpart, Nippon Professional Baseball, informed the two leagues on March 23 that it would be inadvisable to try to start playing at an early date. In keeping with that advice, a third delay was enacted.
One factor in the decision was a delay in procuring devices to take the temperatures of fans as they enter the stadiums. The restart was therefore set at no earlier than April 25, while J1, which draws the biggest crowds, will resume after the extended series of national holidays.
In addition, the league will request that fans not travel to away matches, and has instructed teams to not set aside areas in the stands of the stadiums for away fans. That measure will be kept in place for a minimum of two months, and is aimed at preventing frequent travel around the country by large groups.
In the stands, fans will be spread out with spaces on both the left and right, and in the rows in front and back. Each team will have to work out how to handle such issues as refunds to season-ticket holders. There is also a plan to request that fans not come into physical contact with each other as they cheer on their team.
With the J3, which has relatively sparse crowds, starting off first, it will give the J.League the chance to assess the effect of the measures so that both J2 and J1 can be restarted smoothly.
"We're aiming for under 50% of capacity and to keep the fans from coming into close contact," J.League chairman Mitsuru Mirai said. "J1 operates on a large scale and our preparations have to be geared toward preventing doing anything that causes trouble for the public."
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