Charlton Athletic get green light for supporters to return – 1,000 allowed for Doncaster fixture
Charlton Athletic will be allowed 1,000 fans at their League One game at home to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday – after the EFL selected them as one of 10 pilot fixtures.
The 2019-20 domestic football season finished behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But now the EFL will trial a capped number of supporters at select matches as discussions continue with the government over increased numbers for October 1.
Charlton are one of four League One pilot fixtures this weekend. The others are Blackpool v Swindon, Shrewsbury Town v Northampton and Hull v Crewe.
EFL chairman Rick Parry said: “It’s encouraging that we are in a position to move forward with the next phase of the pilot programme and give a small number of our clubs the opportunity to welcome back up to a 1,000 fans this week.
“The health and well-being of supporters and their wider communities remains the priority, but as we showed at Cambridge, social distancing can be applied safely. By extending across more EFL clubs we hope to further demonstrate that the measures developed can allow fans to return in greater numbers from as early as next month.
“The requirement to welcome spectators back through turnstiles has not diminished in any way, the financial challenges facing EFL clubs. They have been explained on numerous occasions, they are substantial and a problem that requires immediate solutions.”
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