Old Trafford cricket ground plans for social-distancing fans

Lancashire Cricket Club chief executive Daniel Gidney believes that social distancing and other methods can be applied in their 26,000-seat ground to allow in at least 2,000 fans, initially for county cricket.

Manchester: The Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester is spearheading plans in England to try to bring fans back into a sports venue despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Lancashire Cricket Club chief executive Daniel Gidney believes that social distancing and other methods can be applied in their 26,000-seat ground to allow in at least 2,000 fans, initially for county cricket, with the hope of adding Test cricket at a later date.

"I believe that we should be able to get some international cricket behind closed doors away in July." Gidney told SNTV.

"I'm hopeful that we can get some domestic cricket away in the back end of August and September, at least behind closed doors, but possibly even with some small crowds," Gidney continued.

"Sometimes you can get into this negative box. And when I'm being positive, I'm not being reckless or saying things that can't happen from a safety perspective."

"We could have domestic cricket with two or three thousand people in with chairs as seats separate out in the stadium, perspex barriers on counters, whether it be for food and beverages or in a hotel,” Gidney said.

“There are ways that we can make a sanitised, smaller crowd, domestic cricket environment possible at the back end of the year based on the current trajectories that we’re looking at from the science and the infection rate keeping down.

“As long as the infection rate continues to drop, then I believe that we should be able to get some form of domestic cricket back and hopefully with some small crowds,” he added.

Not only are mass gatherings still banned by the UK government, but sports teams aren't yet allowed to play or train close together.

The English cricket season was due to start in April, but now won't begin until July at the earliest.