MX23RW : Monday, June 3 03:34:12| >> :120:16548:16548:

Men and women to play Community Shield double header behind closed doors

Men and women to play Community Shield double header behind closed doors
© Reuters
The games will both take place at Wembley on August 29.

Next season's men's and women's Community Shield matches will be played as a behind-closed-doors double header at Wembley, the Football Association has announced.

Both games will take place in front of empty stands at headquarters on Saturday, August 29 after plans to use it as a pilot event for the re-introduction of spectators were shelved.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "We are proud to announce the first ever double header of The FA's Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 29 August.

"It's a sign of our commitment to the women's game and its growth, to have a curtain raiser that mirrors that of the men, with another high-profile fixture at Wembley Stadium."

The first women's Community Shield since 2008, which will be shown live on BBC1, will be contested between Super League champions Chelsea and FA Cup holders Manchester City and kick off at 12.30pm.

The men's game, the seasons traditional curtain-raiser will see Premier League champions Liverpool lock horns with FA Cup winners Arsenal at 4.30pm and will be screened by BT Sport.

Organisers had considered allowing a limited number of fans into the stadium with sport continuing its efforts to emerge from coronavirus restrictions.

However, after similar tests in county cricket and snooker had to be abandoned due to a rise in Covid-19 cases, they opted not to press ahead.

The World Snooker Championship in Sheffield and a county match between Surrey and Middlesex allowed spectators in as part of a trial, but that was abruptly halted after the government changed their guidance in the wake of an increase in infections.

The government announced last month it hoped to be able to allow fans into Premier League games and other sporting events from October 1, subject to coronavirus guidelines. But it remains to be seen whether that will go ahead.

ID:410054: cacheID:410054:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4644:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City players celebrate winning the FA Community Shield on August 4, 2019
Read Next:
Community Shield 'unlikely to be used as a pilot for supporters'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!