Coronavirus vaccination certificates could enable fans to fill stadiums from June, Britain’s biggest sports bodies have said.
Wimbledon, the Premier League and the England and Wales Cricket Board are among the sporting groups that have joined together to back the use of certificates so that spectators can return to their venues.
In a letter to Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer and other party leaders at Westminster, the group of ten sports organisations backed certificates on the basis that the government plans to treat recent negative tests and antibodies from contracting the disease as equivalent to a dose of the vaccine.
“All of our sports can see the benefit that a Covid certification process offers in getting more fans safely back to their sport as quickly as possible,” the letter said. “We know that our stadiums can only be fully filled with an assurance process. This process must ensure that everyone can access stadiums and must include arrangements that would verify a negative coronavirus test or an antibody test alongside vaccination certification. The final approach must not be discriminatory, should protect privacy and have clear exit criteria.”
Other signatories to the letter were the English Football League, the Football Association, the Lawn Tennis Association, the Rugby Football League, the Rugby Football Union, the Scottish Professional Football League and Silverstone Circuit.
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From the stage of the plan set to begin on May 17, sports venues would be allowed to let fans back in but capacity would be capped at 25 per cent. “This will still be insufficient to end sport’s Covid financial crisis,” the letter said.
“The return of fans will give a huge boost to millions who enjoy a day out at a sporting event with their friends and families and be of great benefit to the economy. It is right that every possible action is considered to secure this outcome as soon as possible, but only for as long as an unrestricted return is considered unsafe to fans, matchday staff and the wider public.”
A government spokesman said: "We welcome the constructive approach from major British sports as we explore how testing Covid certification and other steps can help get more fans back into stadiums and other large events safely. We want as many fans as possible to be able to enjoy a great British summer of sport, safely.”
There are several sports fixtures among the government’s event research programme, which begins next week and will test the impact of different approaches to capacity and social distancing on whether those attending contract the coronavirus. The World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield will initially operate at 33 per cent capacity but will host a full crowd of 980 for the final. Other events in the trial include the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 15, where 21,000 people will be able to attend.
The existing reopening plan runs until June 21, and ministers have suggested that certification could enable the lifting of social-distancing restrictions after that point, especially at events with large crowds.