[Football] Premier League / Football League attempts to finish the season

[Mellotron]

Apologies, it's from the Mail, but the below is of interest;

By ADAM SHERGOLD FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 08:46, 27 April 2020 | UPDATED: 12:03, 27 April 2020

A minimum of 300 people will be needed for a Premier League fixture to take place behind closed doors.

As England's top flight looks for safe ways to resume in the coming weeks amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an official estimate has calculated how many will need to be inside each ground on matchday.

This includes 40 players, 32 coaching and medical staff from the two teams, 12 match officials, between six and eight doctors and medical personnel, three Premier League officials and 130 or more media personnel.

The Premier League are aiming for a June 8 resumption with the remaining 92 matches of the 2019-20 season set to be played behind closed doors.

Fans won't be allowed into stadiums but the Premier League estimates between 300 and 500 people will be needed to ensure each fixture take place.

Of that figure, 210 have been exactly accounted for, according to The Daily Telegraph, though the precise numbers of club directors, media, security, stewards, ground staff and scoreboard operators have yet to be worked out.

The additional 90-100 in attendance is based on estimates made in Germany, where the Bundesliga could resume on May 9 if given the green light by health authorities.

People needed at every Premier League game

CLUB STAFF (72+)
40 players, 32 coaching/medical staff, plus other club staff and directors

OFFICIALS (12)
6 match officials, 3 Hawk-Eye, 3 VAR

PREMIER LEAGUE STAFF (3)
1 matchday coordinator, 1 match delegate, 1 match manager

MATCHDAY STAFF (16+)
6-8 tunnel doctor and other medical personnel, 4 doping control, 4 to move matchday furniture, plus screen and scoreboard operators, plus ground staff

MEDIA (130+) - really question this one...
77-100 TV and radio staff, 28 written press, 2 photographers, plus club media

Detailed guidelines released ahead of the resumption of football in Germany say a maximum of 322 people will be permitted in and around stadiums on matchdays.

They will be divided into three defined zones - 98 will be allowed pitchside in the stadium, 115 will be in the stands and 109 stationed outside the stadium.

The Premier League figure of 300 is if the fixture is not televised live. It will rise by 23 if it is shown live.

In addition, a further 70 broadcast and production staff would be allowed into the area around the stadium, but not the stadium itself.

The Premier League has already held detailed discussions with the 20 clubs on the minimum and maximum numbers of people who will be allowed inside stadiums. The maximum is believed to be close to 500.

 

[dazzer6666]

Yeah that number includes over 100 "media". Why the **** would reporters, radio & TV commentators or journos NEED to be at the game, rather than watching on a stream like every other bugger?! Stadium announcer, ex-players with ambassadorial or hospitality roles, all unnecessary.

The number would be higher than 12 per club certainly imo, but you'd hope it could be maybe under 100 overall, if they kept it to essential production and healthcare?

Yes, really !...lol.

May I politely suggest you read the attachment on post 1240.

Players can turn up in their kit and go straight home.
Cameras can be operated remotely.
More decisions can be by VAR, such as offside. Take away the linesmen. (bloody hell I never though I'd make that argument).

Really? Under usual circumstances, yes Premier League clubs have a colossal entourage of people, often ex players trying to look busy. But what matchday staff do you actually NEED to get a game on?

A manager each? fair enough
The physio, could easily be shared
A doctor. Shared also with an ambulance not far from the match on standby
Maybe a ball boy at each side of the pitch would be useful

The other stuff? All nice to have. The groundsman doesn't HAVE to be there to fork the pitch at half time, the manager could easily be miked up to an assistant manager.

The players won't be able to prepare for a match like before. But again, they can train by video link, they can have team talks by video link. Less than ideal, but it will be the same for both teams.

There's way too many people wilfully not prepared to show some imagination.

Even if that many people are 'necessary', doesn't mean they all have to be tested, or are able to do whatever it is they are doing without respecting social distancing. Cameramen, ball boys, groundsmen, reporters etc can all maintain distancing and still do their job in theory.

Gradual relaxation of distancing will mean contact becomes more and more permissible over time (assuming the NHS remains within capacity) - just not convinced at this point football can be among the first to go. Needs to start with families and other more necessary shops etc IMO and see how things go - football can be part of the programme and may well be the case in a couple of months it might be OK to start but as soon as a single player gets infected the whole thing is basically ****ed - essentially the likely contact tracing and subsequent isolation requirements will take him and his whole team out of action for 2 weeks, plus, most likely, the team they last played against. It's just not going to work.

Season is going to binned off/stopped as it is in the hope that we have enough measures in place to make a 20/21 start viable at some point relatively soon (Sept/Oct I'd think)

 

[Marshy]

Cant believe people still think this will happen or is a good idea currently.

Just bin the season off and re-assess in July or whenever they usually come back from pre-season.

 

[crodonilson]

I now understand the figure required instead of your derisory number of "12" is more likely to be 265..! I feels this renders the rest of your post as 'unconvincing'.

I disagree, of those 256 very few would need to come into direct contact with the players, and as such would be kept away from all players/coaches etc. The approx 12 I said about was directly from a club to prepare for and play a game. Club officials/broadcasters etc would not come into contact with player and as such I don'tt hink would need as much rigorous tresting, if you held multiple games at a neutral venue you would also only need 1 set of the majority of this 256 figure.

 

[blue-shifted]

Apologies, it's from the Mail, but the below is of interest;

Yes under normal times, you'd have 40 players at the stadium. There would also be directors and 100 people for TV.

I'd forgot about doping people, you'd need that for most games. But again, they don't have to be there from the game and can be in a room entirely separate from everyone else.

Media. You don't need a single person there, not with the technology available

With positive thinking and us accepting a few changes this can be done. The question is more, should it be done?

 

[drew]

Apologies, it's from the Mail, but the below is of interest;

By ADAM SHERGOLD FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 08:46, 27 April 2020 | UPDATED: 12:03, 27 April 2020

A minimum of 300 people will be needed for a Premier League fixture to take place behind closed doors.

As England's top flight looks for safe ways to resume in the coming weeks amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an official estimate has calculated how many will need to be inside each ground on matchday.

This includes 40 players, 32 coaching and medical staff from the two teams, 12 match officials, between six and eight doctors and medical personnel, three Premier League officials and 130 or more media personnel.

The Premier League are aiming for a June 8 resumption with the remaining 92 matches of the 2019-20 season set to be played behind closed doors.

Fans won't be allowed into stadiums but the Premier League estimates between 300 and 500 people will be needed to ensure each fixture take place.

Of that figure, 210 have been exactly accounted for, according to The Daily Telegraph, though the precise numbers of club directors, media, security, stewards, ground staff and scoreboard operators have yet to be worked out.

The additional 90-100 in attendance is based on estimates made in Germany, where the Bundesliga could resume on May 9 if given the green light by health authorities.

People needed at every Premier League game

CLUB STAFF (72+)
40 players, 32 coaching/medical staff, plus other club staff and directors

OFFICIALS (12)
6 match officials, 3 Hawk-Eye, 3 VAR

PREMIER LEAGUE STAFF (3)
1 matchday coordinator, 1 match delegate, 1 match manager

MATCHDAY STAFF (16+)
6-8 tunnel doctor and other medical personnel, 4 doping control, 4 to move matchday furniture, plus screen and scoreboard operators, plus ground staff

MEDIA (130+) - really question this one...
77-100 TV and radio staff, 28 written press, 2 photographers, plus club media

Detailed guidelines released ahead of the resumption of football in Germany say a maximum of 322 people will be permitted in and around stadiums on matchdays.

They will be divided into three defined zones - 98 will be allowed pitchside in the stadium, 115 will be in the stands and 109 stationed outside the stadium.

The Premier League figure of 300 is if the fixture is not televised live. It will rise by 23 if it is shown live.

In addition, a further 70 broadcast and production staff would be allowed into the area around the stadium, but not the stadium itself.

The Premier League has already held detailed discussions with the 20 clubs on the minimum and maximum numbers of people who will be allowed inside stadiums. The maximum is believed to be close to 500.


1. Agree, why so many media? Surely if the match is being screened, which all games are, why can't the press watch the same way fans do in view of the exceptional times?
2. Why 32 coaching staff, that's almost one per player!
3. Do they really need scoreboard operators?
4. If they're serious, why do directors need to be at the game?

At the end of the day, it's all superfluous as it ain't going to happen.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Cant believe people still think this will happen or is a good idea currently.

Just bin the season off and re-assess in July or whenever they usually come back from pre-season.

Yes, this of course.

 

[nwgull]

Cant believe people still think this will happen or is a good idea currently.

Just bin the season off and re-assess in July or whenever they usually come back from pre-season.

This. The French have set the precedent and their daily deaths are already on the way down and have been at about 30-40% lower than ours over the past 5 days.

The practicalities of staging competitive games behind closed doors while still maintaining a responsible degree of social distancing amongst non-players will be hard enough, but it's impossible for the actual players. And what happens then if one of the players tests positive? Does that mean that that team can't play a game for 2 weeks?

 

[Whitley Bayster]

I can't see any of this working. It takes one player or club to have staff come down with symptoms during the "end of season" period and it all comes crashing down. A full squad goes into isolation and that teams fixtures can't be completed in what will be a conjested period. You also have the issue of any oppostition that have been in contact who also have to go into isolation. This happens to several clubs and its chaos. It just not worth it not when lives could be at stake. End the season now. We can't be relegated under any method I've seen and we all start again properly and safely when it is appropriate to do so.

 

[Paris]

I can't see any of this working. It takes one player or club to have staff come down with symptoms during the "end of season" period and it all comes crashing down. A full squad goes into isolation and that teams fixtures can't be completed in what will be a conjested period. You also have the issue of any oppostition that have been in contact who also have to go into isolation. This happens to several clubs and its chaos. It just not worth it not when lives could be at stake. End the season now. We can't be relegated under any method I've seen and we all start again properly and safely when it is appropriate to do so.

...is the correct answer.

 

[Surport Local Team]

This would be wrong to restart until unlimited tests are available, each match would need say 100 tests, times 10 prem matches, times twice a week. So reckon the prem will need 2000 test kits per week. If by taking these 2000 tests from the total available in uk, it stops just one person in general public getting tested who then goes on to pass covid to someone who then dies it is wrong. It is guanteed by taking 2000 tests away that someone with covid will get missed who might have had one of the 2000 tests that week.

 

[blue-shifted]

This would be wrong to restart until unlimited tests are available, each match would need say 100 tests, times 10 prem matches, times twice a week. So reckon the prem will need 2000 test kits per week. If by taking these 2000 tests from the total available in uk, it stops just one person in general public getting tested who then goes on to pass covid to someone who then dies it is wrong. It is guanteed by taking 2000 tests away that someone with covid will get missed who might have had one of the 2000 tests that week.

Yes, at the moment, we're far from ready to get these games on

 

[Alba Badger]

Bloody sick of all this (not you lot) then need to just cancel the whole thing. It is not worth risking so many lives (Not just from the club) Stewards, police, stadium staff etc for football. Cancel it and put the date of September the 1st to start next season. Also putting us all out of our misery. Sod the money, peoples lives are too important.

 

[crodonilson]

Bloody sick of all this (not you lot) then need to just cancel the whole thing. It is not worth risking so many lives (Not just from the club) Stewards, police, stadium staff etc for football. Cancel it and put the date of September the 1st to start next season. Also putting us all out of our misery. Sod the money, peoples lives are too important.

What makes you think all of the problems will be solved by September 1st? We're going to have to live with coronavirous for a while yet and accept there is going to be some level of risk, just like there is some level of risk every time you open your front door. The rick has to be at amanageable and acceptable level but as we are going to have to start to reopen our economy to avoid an even grester catastrophe further down the line of the country slipping from what already will be a long and deep recession into a depression.

Hopefully, possibly optimistically in 7 weeks time the death toll, infections and hospitalisations will be significantly lower than today. Look how far things have developed in the last 7 weeks, it is important we try to get back to some semblance of normaility, in sport and in the economy and society in general within the social distancing guidelines.

 

[DavePage]

What happens when the fans decide to drive down and congregate outside the grounds?
Seem to remember lots of tickets less fans going to Hillsborough and we know how that ended.
Not the same thing I know, but the fan mentality remains the same.

 

[DavePage]

What makes you think all of the problems will be solved by September 1st? We're going to have to live with coronavirous for a while yet and accept there is going to be some level of risk, just like there is some level of risk every time you open your front door. The rick has to be at amanageable and acceptable level but as we are going to have to start to reopen our economy to avoid an even grester catastrophe further down the line of the country slipping from what already will be a long and deep recession into a depression.

Hopefully, possibly optimistically in 7 weeks time the death toll, infections and hospitalisations will be significantly lower than today. Look how far things have developed in the last 7 weeks, it is important we try to get back to some semblance of normaility, in sport and in the economy and society in general within the social distancing guidelines.

Then maybe they will have the cause of the second wave, that they are suggesting

 

[METALMICKY]

Let's not also forget that we could all drown in the flood of scousers tears when the sensible decision to cancel the season is eventually made. Over the last week I've seen some incredible stuff including emotive exclamations that the premier trophy is being " stolen " from them! They just don't seem to appreciate that people dying and the economy are way more important than then winning the league.

 

[Pavilionaire]

My feelings:

1. I'm really looking forward to seeing an Albion side play with MacAllister, Lamptey, Molumby and Ben White.

2. In my mind season 2019/20 is done.

3. It feels disgusting and just plain wrong talking about playing Prem football when hundreds of people are still dying on a daily basis.

4. It's almost guaranteed one of the football people will get coronavirus and we're then back to square one.

5. They should just work out average points per game over the fixtures played then draw a line under it. This wouldn't change title winners, Champions League places or bottom 3 relegated anyway.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

If behind-doors happens, which I hope it doesn't, a piece in the Times today will be of interest.

All PL teams except Wolves, Soton and Chelsea have (as expected) won more points per home game than per away game this season. Everton top the table in this respect with .99pts more. Palace achieved only .26pts more. The Albion are about halfway, with .56pts more per home game than away.

One of the many unfairnesses of behind-doors is that some clubs will be deprived of more home games than others. However, one possible crumb of comfort for the Albion is that, and I quote, "As a side near the bottom you would want your 'home' games to be against top teams, which you would be unlikely to win anyway, and your 'away' games to be against (lower) teams, where your opponents' loss of home advantage gives you a greater chance." No club has a fixture profile more like this than the Albion.

I am sure the chairman's statisticians have got it all in hand.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/english...ourse-with-players-over-restart-plans-sources

A growing number of Premier League players do not want to play football during the coronavirus crisis in what is a major blow to the league's hopes of resuming the 2019-20 season, sources have told ESPN.

In a significant setback to the league's Project Restart scheme to get elite football underway after play was suspended on March 13, players across numerous Premier League teams have severe reservations about playing during the coronavirus pandemic.