MX23RW : Friday, January 31 12:55:26| >> :600:142725443:142725443:

Successful test events could see number of fans in stadiums increase

Surrey's friendly against Middlesex will be the first UK sporting event with spectators since the ban on mass gatherings in March.

Guidance on fans returning to stadiums strikes the right balance but the success of the test events could allow room to increase numbers, according to the boss of the company which will monitor the three trials over the next week.

Crowd dynamics consultancy Movement Strategies has been commissioned by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) to evaluate the return of spectators to venues.

The first event to welcome back spectators since the suspension of mass gatherings in March due to the coronavirus pandemic is the Surrey v Middlesex cricket friendly on Sunday and Monday at the Kia Oval, where the crowd on day one will be 500, going up to 1,000 on day two.

The Crucible is then expected to be around a third full each day for the World Snooker Championship starting next Friday, before 5,000 spectators are set to attend Glorious Goodwood on Saturday, August 1.

Movement Strategies has worked on other venues reopening safely amid the Covid-19 outbreak, including the Tower of London, and before the pandemic has advised sports venues around the world.

Guidance from the SGSA talks about capacity in a block being capped at a maximum of 33 per cent, down as low as 17 per cent depending on which space-per-person calculation method is used.

Asked if the guidance for sports venues had been set at a low bar with room to manoeuvre upwards, Movement Strategies’ executive director Simon Ancliffe told the PA news agency: “People are focused on safety. Everybody wants it to be safe, commercially successful and a good experience, probably in that order.

“It’s that balance that needs to be right, so I think the guidance is where it should be at this stage.

“If (the test events) allowed for room to increase capacity then everybody would be pleased about that, but the guidelines have been developed to give people a basis on which to plan.”

Ancliffe said capacity would always be venue dependent.

“Take football, there’s a difference between a new stadium and an old, historic one, and that might not be because of the viewing capacity, it might be because of the outside concourse, the inside concourse,” he said.

“Everyone would like to get back to one place (full stadiums) but with social distancing it just isn’t going to be possible. I don’t want to give a number (on what a maximum percentage of capacity might be) yet, post-test events that will become much more clear.”

Movement Strategies will report back to the SGSA after the completion of the three events, but will also report insights back live.

Its assessors will look at the different phases of the event – entry, circulation around the venue, intervals and egress. It will also look at the behaviour of spectators.

It is anticipated that the different venue types will yield very different results.

He added: “You’ll build up a picture of what’s going on in the test events. We’re looking at how the venue operates, how is the guidance applied and human behaviour. That will give you an evidence base for decision-making going forwards.

“The pilot tests will guide us towards what the impact of that guidance is.”

ID:407799: cacheID:407799:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5781:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


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!