Tottenham want to stage a test event at their stadium featuring the return of around 31,000 fans as football attempts to navigate a way back towards having crowds in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The club’s chairman, Daniel Levy, made the proposal at the Premier League shareholders meeting, saying he hoped that 50% of the ground’s capacity could be used. It would be impossible to socially distance such numbers but he believes that they could still be accommodated safely.
At the very least, Levy wants to look into it – with support from the government. He has previously said that he wants to explore scientific and technological solutions to pave the way for supporters to return; possibly digital health passports and smartphone applications.
The government has been hopeful that some fans will be able to come back from 1 October but it is understood that Levy would like the trial at the Tottenham stadium to take place as soon as possible.
Premier League clubs have modelled the socially distanced return of supporters and some have seen that it would involve the use of only around 25% of their stadiums. They have explored whether this would be financially viable in terms of potential income covering overheads.
