Could League One fixtures be switched to get fans into grounds at the earliest opportunity?

The EFL is not against clubs moving fixtures from December 1 to December 2 to get football fans back into grounds as soon as the current lockdown is over.
By Alan Swann
Published 24th Nov 2020, 10:22 BST
Mo Eisa in action for Posh at Wimbledon.Mo Eisa in action for Posh at Wimbledon.
Mo Eisa in action for Posh at Wimbledon.

The current lockdown period is scheduled to end at midnight on December 1.

Peterborough United are due at AFC Wimbledon for a League One fixture on December 1. There are eight League One games that night.

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EFL chairman Rick Parry said: “The EFL will be as flexible as we can be if matches could be moved to December 2 to accommodate fans.

“However we still need to wait to find out which clubs will be in which tier on Thursday and to get the necessary permissions from the safety advisory groups.

A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed at events in the lowest-risk areas when England’s lockdown ends, with up to 2,000 in tier two ,but none in tier three.

Football across England’s top four divisions has mainly been played behind closed doors since returning in June.

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Parry added: “This is a welcome start. Fans have been frustrated, they’re missing their football, so it’s something to celebrate for fans, not just for the clubs.

“We have to build upon it because what we’re really looking forward to is getting fans back in rather more substantial numbers.”

Posh are due at Portsmouth on December 5 so their first scheduled home game post-lockdown is against West Ham Under 21s in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday, December 8.

Posh have League One games against Rochdale (December 12), Ipswich (December 19) and Charlton (December 29) scheduled for December.

Related topics:League OneEFLEnglandPortsmouth

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