Premier League Releases New Guidelines For Restart

With the Premier League set to resume this week, the league has helpfully provided the public with a guide to the new regulations that will be in effect in every stadium in order to ensure the safety of the people involved.

The hope is that, in total, only 300 people will attend every match, with clubs using only a bare bones crew to limit interactions. The stadium area will be divided into three sections: green, amber, and red. Each person allowed into the match, including players, coaches, staff, referees, journalists, and television crews, will be given a designation.

The most restrictive area is the red area, which covers the pitch itself, as well as the players’ bench, tunnel, and dressing rooms.

The amber area is the rest of the stadium, including the stands and pitchside interview areas.

Finally, the green area is outside of the stadium, in the parking and entrance points.

Each area has its own set of COVID-19 requirements to be allowed access.

The teams will exit the tunnel separately: first the away side and then the home side. There will be no handshakes between players or referees. Goal celebrations need to kept socially distant. Players are asked not to spit or clear their noses.

Ball boys will not be available, so instead, there will be several balls placed strategically around the outside of the pitch. That way, if a ball goes into the stands, players can pick up another one near them to restart play.

The news that there would be five substitutions for each game came earlier this month along with the added benefit of managers getting nine players on the bench instead of the usual seven. But although they’ve increased the number of subs, managers can still only stop the game three times to make them — meaning they will have to use double substitutions. Three subs from each team will be allowed to warm up on the sidelines at once, to avoid unnecessary close contact.

You can read through all of the guidelines, including for team travel and locker room etiquette, on their site.