The SFA and SPFL Joint Response Group are discussing the possibility of using ‘hub stadiums’ and ‘virtual season tickets’ in Scottish football.
The sport was halted in mid-March due to the global health crisis and work is now underway on a plan to restart matches.
It’s highly unlikely that the current Premiership campaign will restart but various areas are being looked at to ensure the 2020/21 season can take place.
Summaries of the six Scottish Football Restart sub-groups – Medical, Club and Stadium Operations, Club and Supporter Welfare, Broadcast and Innovation, Regulation, and Grassroots – were included in the latest Response Group Update published on Thursday afternoon.
After consultation with sporting organisations in other countries, the concept of ‘hub stadiums’ – capable of hosting multiple fixtures across a weekend – is currently on the table.
The update also confirms that the viability of ‘virtual season tickets’ is being assessed as part of research into what broadcasting opportunities may be available.
In the coming weeks, the medical sub-group are to ‘develop medical protocols for returning to training and matches as well as for screening, testing and management of COVID positive individuals, including return to play’, while the Broadcast and Innovation sub-group are to create a working group to ‘explore principles of behind closed doors or a hybrid model for Premiership’ [Scottish FA]
Verdict
This is a detailed release from the Joint Response Group and only a few key points are summarised above.
No concrete decisions have been made, with much of the discussion theoretical at this point.
Clearly, safety is the priority and there’s an intention to monitor how things play out elsewhere in Europe whilst also trying to come up with solutions that solve problems specific to Scottish football.
This is, though, what feels like the first update that instils some hope that work is being done behind the scenes.
The last two months have been filled with negativity and feuding and as a result, Scotland is still a long way behind many other European leagues.
Yet, there are the beginnings of plans in this update which suggest there is light at the end of the tunnel.
