The Premier League could be back as soon as next month after the government gave it the green light to resume. While the season could potentially resume from June 1st at the earliest, it’s likely to take longer to get it started again. The government is sharing the details of its plan to return to normality, with Boris Johnson saying sport will be permitted to be broadcast from behind closed doors, as long as it avoids ‘the risk of large-scale social contact’.
Football shut down indefinitely at the outset of the lockdown, and the plans to restart are not without other obstacles, like player safety and the use of neutral venues. However, Premier League clubs have committed to finishing the season in some way or another – the most likely way is currently looking like behind closed doors at neutral venues.
This plan to finish the season was always in line with government guidelines, though, so this new announcement is likely to get the ball rolling.
Furthermore, step two of the government’s plans to ease restrictions gradually will only be possible if the spread of the virus doesn’t increase from now until June 1st.
But the government’s document, released Monday afternoon, says ‘organisations should plan accordingly’.