Non-elite sport set for March return following government announcement

Organised outdoor sports including football, golf and tennis will be allowed to resume in England from 29 March, as the government begins to ease Covid lockdown restrictions.

As Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out a four-step plan to ease lockdown in England, he also announced that gyms will reopen on 12 April, but spectators will not return to sporting venues in England until 17 May at the earliest.

The PM said: “The turnstiles of our sports stadia will once again rotate.”

According to the first step of the plan, all schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed from 8 March. Outdoor sports facilities, such as tennis and basketball courts, will reopen from 29 March, and organised adult and children’s sport (such as grassroots football) will also return – they will not be subject to the gatherings limit.

There will also be a special provision for large outdoor seated venues where crowds can be safely distributed

Leisure centres, gyms and swimming pools can reopen from 12 April on the second step, but social distancing and contact rules will continue to apply. These venues have been closed across England since the third lockdown was announced on 4 January. All children will be able to attend any indoor children’s activity, including sport, regardless of circumstance.

If everything goes to plan and the data allows, the third step will come from 17 May. The ‘rule of six’ will be abolished for outdoor gatherings and replaced with a limit of 30. Adult indoor group sports and exercise classes will be permitted. Sports events indoors will be allowed capacities of up to 1,000 people or 50% of the stadium’s capacity- whichever is lower- while outdoor events will be allowed a maximum of 4,000 spectators. There will also be a special provision for large outdoor seated venues where crowds can be safely distributed – they will be allowed the lower of 10,000 or 25% of capacity.

Reactions from sports bodies to the government’s announcement have been generally positive.

The FA is absolutely delighted fans will be allowed back soon. The game is simply not the same without them

– Football Association

Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: “The Prime Minister’s roadmap for the return of sport and physical activity is very welcome and a clear recognition of how important it is to the nation’s physical and mental health. We know people are desperate to get back playing the sport they love and doing the activities they have so badly missed, and now it is at last in sight.”

A statement from the Football Association said: “The FA is absolutely delighted fans will be allowed back soon. The game is simply not the same without them and we look forward to the return of full stadia as soon as it is safe and possible.”

The Lawn Tennis Association commented: “We know sport has a key role in supporting the physical and mental health of the nation, so it’s return will give a boost to the whole country, and is very welcome. Clearly tennis is a naturally socially-distanced and safe activity and so we would have liked restrictions to be lifted without delay and made the case for this. However we’re now focused on supporting venues, coaches, officials and players to prepare for the return of outdoor tennis on 29 March.”

Jon Dutton, chief executive of Rugby League World Cup 2021, said he was “greatly encouraged” and added: “We’ve remained positive and optimistic fans would be able to attend the tournament, which will be held in October and November 2021 in England. We very much hope this tournament, predominantly being staged in many of the hardest hit areas across the north of England, will play a part in the nation’s pandemic recovery plan and will be the biggest and best ever Rugby League World Cup.”

Restriction easing in the devolved nations is dependent on their respective administrations. In Scotland, outdoor non-contact sports like golf and tennis are currently permitted, and the Scottish government hopes to publish its own route out of lockdown in the coming week. Meanwhile, in Wales, sport and leisure facilities are currently closed, but up to four people from two different households can exercise outdoors together. Sports facilities are closed in Northern Ireland, where lockdown has been extended until 1 April.