No positive coronavirus results have been returned from the second week of testing in the Women’s Super League and Championship, the Football Association has confirmed.
Of the 1,194 tests carried out across the top two tiers of women’s football from 12-19 July, all were negative. In the first week of testing, one positive result was returned from the 802 tests.
Testing will be stepped down to once a week in August, a move signed off by the government, and is unlikely to be in place come the start of the season on 5-6 September.
A £1m donation from the Premier League has covered the cost of pre-season testing for clubs in the WSL and the Championship.
Between 13 and 19 July, there were no positive test results among the 2,208 players and staff tested in the men’s Premier League and there have been 20 positive tests across the 13 rounds of testing carried out by the league (12 in May, seven in June and one in July). A second wave would lead to everything being reviewed.
WSL players are being tested twice a week while they begin pre-season, in line with the protocols established for the return of the Premier League. These include: each club having a Covid-19 officer, risk assessment and mitigation plans, access to PPE and cleaning of equipment between sessions. Clubs can be subjected to spot checks to ensure compliance, with two FA staff working full-time with WSL and Championship clubs on its response to the pandemic.
Hopes that the start of the new women’s football season would also coincide with the return of fans to stadiums have been tempered by government plans to see spectators back in October so it is likely that the seasons will also kick off behind closed doors.
For WSL and Championship teams with the backing of a sizable men’s club, the impact of behind-closed-doors games is minimal as gate receipts form a small percentage of clubs’ turnover.
