Express & Star

Leigh Pomlett: We could keep Walsall fans distanced

Walsall chairman Leigh Pomlett says it is ‘feasible’ that social distancing could exist within the Banks’s Stadium to allow fans to return.

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The current 2019/20 season is under serious doubt for League One and League Two teams, with reports suggesting that both divisions will not be completed on the field – with a points per game system being touted to determine where each club places in the league. Although social distancing rules may not allow for fans to return soon, Pomlett believes it could be possible to adhere to government guidelines and allow a smaller group of fans into the ground.

“You could make the case, it’s not by any means certain yet,” he said. “With a stadium as big as ours we could limit the crowd so social distancing could exist within the stadium.  At the moment that’s conjecture, we don’t know if we can do that, but you can see it being feasible that we could operate with a social distancing regime within the stadium in front of fans.

“That’s a bit of a way off but it’s some of thinking that’s going on, so it could happen but it’s an idea and not a decision that has been made.”

Walsall manager Darrell Clarke also insists it could work, with fans spread more evenly in the 11,300-seater stadium. “It will be interesting if the social distancing stayed for a while and whether that could take place in a stadium like ours,” he said. “Premier League clubs would struggle with that but it’s potentially something to look at, social distancing might be able to happen in our football stadium.”