English football could welcome fans back by October with clubs in talks to bring back small crowds to boost cash
ENGLAND'S struggling football clubs hope to bring crowds back as early as October - but in small numbers.
Safety officers and 'Covid 19' officials at clubs are in talks about a plan that would see 25 per cent capacity crowds with social distancing.
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The push is mainly coming from the EFL and would help out smaller clubs who face no gate money for months.
Many League One and Two sides - plus the National League - operate at much less than full capacity and this would fit perfectly.
In the bottom divisions it would see a quarter of the full capacity being allowed in and this would create revenue.
A couple of Championship clubs would also be keen.
The likes of Wigan have a quarter of their home capacity as season ticket holders.
However the better-supported clubs may be wary of selecting a small section of their fan base over others.
Premier League clubs would have the option of this scheme too, but it may be too difficult to arrange at major venues - and fail to get backing.
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This idea has also been discussed in Scotland where many of their senior clubs attract small clubs anyway.
Fears that crowds would not be allowed back until next year have been rife for some time, but this may be a small sign of hope.
And France are also looking at ways of opening their doors in supporters although they are ahead of Britain in the virus wave.