Live sport to return next week in England
The UK government has announced that professional sport can restart from Monday and the BBC will broadcast live one in three of the remaining English premiership football matches for the first time.
Central to the plans announced by the culture and sport secretary Oliver Dowden at the Downing Street daily briefing would be ongoing social distancing along with various Covid-19 security measures.
When each sport does restart is a decision that will rest with the respective governing bodies but the big announcement centres on the live broadcasting of football matches on the BBC, making them vastly more accessible to a huge audience.
Mr Downden said: “Something which many people have been eagerly awaiting news about and that's the return of live sport.
“For more than two months after sports stopped and after weeks of round-the-clock discussions with medical experts and professional sports bodies, I'm delighted to announce today that the government has published guidance which allows competitive sport behind closed doors from Monday at the earliest and crucially only when it's safe to do so.
“It's up to each individual sport to decide exactly when to resume competition, they know their sports best but football, tennis, horse racing, Formula 1, cricket, golf, rugby, snooker are all set to return to our screens shortly with horse racing first out of the gate in the north east next week.
“We've made sure that it's been a collaborative consensual effort to create the safest possible environment for everyone involved.
“Measures that need to be in place for an event to go ahead and keep everyone involved safe includes a screening process for coronavirus symptoms at the venue, a one way system for people and vehicles, minimising the use of dressing rooms and of course maintaining social distancing wherever that is possible.
“Of course, much of the media attention has focused on football because it has that special place in national life and recognising its significance, I set two challenges for football’s return.
“First that a reasonable number of the remaining Premier League games will be broadcast free to air and second that the financial benefits of returning will be shared throughout the entire football family.
“So I'm glad to confirm today that a third of matches to finish the season will now be free to view including the Liverpool versus Everton derby and live Premier League football will be on the BBC for the first time in its history.
“This is an open invitation for all fans to be part of this significant moment in our sporting history and it also of course has a serious public health benefit of encouraging people to watch at home.
“I can now make it official – football is coming back, of course these headlines sporting events are only one part of the story and I really am keenly aware that even as we reopen some domestic competitive fixtures not all.
“This really is a significant milestone but live sports will be back on our screens from next week, the British sporting recovery has begun.”
