Brighton to face Chelsea in front of 2,500 fans as supporters return to football stadiums for first time in six months

PAUL BARBER hopes Brighton’s friendly in front of 2500 fans on Saturday will be the first step to full capacity crowds returning to English football.

Albion will become the first club to host supporters in the Covid era when they entertain Chelsea on Saturday as part of a government pilot scheme.

A range of measures will be in place to maximise safety including socially-distanced seating, random temperature checks and the enforcement of face coverings in concourse areas.

Though singing will NOT be banned as the Seagulls attempt to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.

Brighton chief exec Barber deferred to the government over a possible return to date for full crowds.

But he hoped Saturday’s match would go some way to speeding up that process given the huge financial impact of games being played behind closed doors.

The former FA supremo said: “It’s a big opportunity for us to help demonstrate to the government, general public and fans in particular that we can stage an event safely.

“It’s an important first step to restoring confidence and to giving people something to look forward to on their weekends.

“It is a small event and it is a pilot so the whole point of it is to test various plans, assumptions and operational procedures. 

“Then we can see if they work, how they work and if they don’t work, why they didn’t work and to enable us to make better plans for future events which might be larger.

We see this as a first tentative step to not just help ourselves or clubs in the Premier League but clubs right the way through the football pyramid

Paul Barber

“We’ve got to show that it is possible to stay safe and maintain social distance at this point within the guidelines.

“From an economic point of view, we need to move through the gears fairly quickly in order to ensure the viability of clubs up and down the country.

“We see this as a first tentative step to not just help ourselves or clubs in the Premier League but clubs right the way through the football pyramid.”

The financial need to get full crowds back is laid bare by Barber’s revelation that every game played behind closed doors has cost Albion in excess of “seven figures”.

The Seagulls have significantly scaled up their cleaning operations around the Amex for the game and sanitising stations will be available across the stadium, including on entry to all turnstiles.

Supporters are discouraged from bringing bags to reduce need or time for searches and will be subject to a temperature check on entry. 

Only the named owner of the ticket will be permitted - transfer of tickets is strictly forbidden - with photo ID needing to be shown on entry. All payments will be cashless around the ground.

Face covering must be worn at the stadium, unless fans are in their seat or while eating and drinking. 

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Supporters, who will be placed in the East Stand, opposite the players’ bench, and part of the South Stand, must socially distance and ensure they only sit in the seat allocated to them.

Every fan will sit individually, regardless of whether they come as a group, with at least three empty seats between them per row.

Barber is “very confident” of his club’s safety measures.

But when asked if fans would be banned from singing, which had been mooted as a possibility for returning crowds to prevent the spread of the virus, he replied: “No. 

“We’re asking people to be respectful of each other. We’ve all been through a really tough four or five months and we’ve all had to adapt our way of life in many different aspects.

“We want to make sure that people understand that when they get inside the football stadium, that can’t go out the window, it’s got to be maintained.

“Football fans are good, decent, respectful people who the vast majority will do as they are asked every single time. I have every confidence that the 2500 people here on Saturday will comply with the guidelines.

“They will want it to go well not just for the club but for fellow football fans who, just as they are, are anxious to get back and watch their teams again.”

As part of the pilot programme, fans will also be allowed at a women’s friendly in Lewes, near Brighton, on Sunday, West Ham and Arsenal’s WSL game and non-league finals day.

The Harlequins-Bath Premiership rugby clash at Twickenham Stoop on September 5 will also allow spectators, while some Bob Willis Trophy and T20 Black cricket matches have been included.

Last month the government cancelled a previous pilot scheme after a spike in Covid cases.