Oxford United welcome the Government’s announcement that fans will be allowed back at matches after Lockdown ends on 2nd December and meetings will now take place to plan for a return of fans to the Kassam Stadium
Yesterday the Government announced that a maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas with up to 2,000 people allowed in tier two areas. Managing Director Niall McWilliams told us
“It’s fantastic news for sport in general and for Oxford United fans who have waited so patiently. It has been tough for everyone and the first thing to do is to thank fans for sticking with us and following the club safely from home.
“Now we have light at the end of the tunnel and over the next day or two we will sit down with the Safety Advisory Group and all of the relevant parties to discuss how we can make this work. Obviously we have to plan ahead for when the tiers are confirmed and see what category Oxford falls under- we expect Tier 2 and that would mean 2,000 fans.
“But the one thing we must do is ensure that we can keep those fans and our players and staff safe. A few weeks ago we submitted plans for a trial game with 1,000 fans allowed in the ground and it may be that we have to be patient just a little longer and trial it with that plan and then step up to a larger number for the next game and hopefully keep building from there.
“Until we have those meetings we can’t really say too much without raising the expectations of fans who I am sure are just as excited as we are about being united again. All we can say right now is that we will work as hard as possible to have fans safely back at the ground as quickly as we can do so. If the last few months have proved one thing it is that football without fans just isn’t football.”