'Premier League Clubs Believe Fans Could Be Back In Grounds For September

Clubs believe fans could be allowed back into grounds for the beginning of the Premier League 2020/21 season, according to reports.

The current Premier League season will get back underway on June 17th, with Aston Villa vs Sheffield United getting things going again, but all the games will be behind closed doors, with only 300 staff, officials and broadcasters allowed in the grounds.

Things could change in September though, according to the Mirror, with clubs reportedly optimistic that fans will be allowed back for the beginning of next season with 'greatly reduced' numbers thanks to social distancing.

The idea is for the reintroduction of fans to be done in stages and whilst it hasn't been officially discussed at the weekly meetings there is a growing belief that it could happen.

They'll be less fans in grounds if they're allowed to return in September. Image: PA Images

Speaking to Sky Sports last week, the league's chief executive Richard Masters talked about the fans returning for the 2020/21 campaign, saying, ""No one knows when matches will move away from the behind-closed-doors model.

"Obviously, it's right to have contingency plans in place, but there is optimism at the Premier League and at clubs that we will start to see fans back in the stadiums next season, and it may happen on a phased basis."

The current season restarts in less than two weeks, just over three months after it was put on hiatus, and there are 92 games left to play.

All the games will be on television, including a good portion of them available free to air, meaning that teams won't miss out on any more television money this season.

However clubs will want to get fans back in grounds as quickly as possible in order to not miss out on too much revenue from their gate receipts, especially as most have refunded season tickets.

Clubs at the bottom of the league have been worried about a lack of fans giving them a disadvantage when it comes to home games not coming with the advantage supporters normally give them, and initially wanted relegation taken off the table.

Their fears may have been proved somewhat correct by the Bundesliga's return. There has only been eight home wins in 37 games since things got back underway on May 16th.

Fans watching the English top tier at home might be able to hear fans, despite the lack of them, with crowd noises being used on the broadcast having been discussed.

Will you choose to have crowd noise if the option is available? Let us know in the comments.