Featured News

Premier League clubs prepare for fans’ return

Premier League clubs are finalising plans for the return of fans this month with more 150,000 supporters set to return to stadiums before the end of the season.

Under COVID-19 roadmap rules, up to 10,000 people can attend outdoor events from step 4 on May 17, and football fixtures have been shuffled around to ensure that all Premier League teams will host one match at their home ground before the season concludes the following week.

Almost all teams have now issued their ticketing plans for their final home game, with those whose stadiums hold less than 40,000 able to fill up to 25 per cent of seats and the larger venues able to hold 10,000 fans.

Wolves fans will later today find out if they have been successful in their applications for tickets for the club’s match against Manchester United on May 23. The club, which is partnered with SeatGeek, allowed season ticket holders to apply for tickets from April 28 to May 4, and club head of ticketing James Davies told TheTicketingBusiness that more than 13,000 entries were received for the likely 8,000 available seats.

“The ballot has now taken place with supporters drawn into four groups,” Davies said. “Ticket sales will open to the first group, and remaining tickets then made available to subsequent groups. Supporters will be informed of their group and when the sales window for their group will open. They will then purchase online should they wish to.”

Davies added: “We had worked with our ticketing software provider SeatGeek back in the summer of 2020 to provide a process for season ticket holders to nominate friends/family grouping as we prepared for the partial return of fans prior to the beginning of the 2020-21 season. The process worked very smoothly and therefore making amendments to that process in order to facilitate ballot entries was simple.”

Wolves’ match against Manchester United will be the first time that fans have attended Molineux since the visit of Brighton on March 7, 2020.

The Premier League has already announced that only home fans can attend the 20 games that will be played over two matchdays, while travel restrictions mean that clubs cannot sell tickets to anyone living outside the UK.

Champions elect Manchester City have still to release details for their home match against Everton, however last year’s title winners Liverpool will open an application process for 10,000 tickets on Monday, May 10 for the visit of Crystal Palace. Applicants for the game must be a season ticket holder or current official member with 19 credits from the 2018-19 Premier League season who have completed Fan Update and must not have attended one of the three games played in front of supporters at Anfield in December 2020.

A Liverpool spokesperson added: “Due to this game having a significantly reduced capacity, ticket prices will be set at the price points used for the three games attended by fans back in December. They are based on a weighted average of general admission and seasonal ticket prices across the stadium. An adult general admission ticket will cost £44.92 and concessional ticket prices will also be based on the same weighted average calculation.”

Manchester United, who play at the 76,000-capacity Old Trafford, said that official members and season ticket holders can apply for tickets from 8am on Tuesday, May 11. United last played in front of home fans when they beat Manchester City 2-0 on March 8, 2020.

“We understand that fans may be apprehensive about returning to Old Trafford when Government restrictions allow,” the club said. “We have continued to adapt to the changes required in order to keep us all as safe as possible.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham said its ballot for the visit of Aston Villa will reward season ticket holders who paid a deposit for 2020-21 last summer and executive members who have paid in advance for multi-year packages.

“We shall once again be applying a proportionate allocation of tickets between season ticket holders, premium and other stakeholders, such as partners and affiliates,” the club said.

West Bromwich Albion began an application process earlier this week that will remain open until Monday, May 10. With the club only promoted last season and on the brink of relegation, the match against West Ham is likely to be the only opportunity for fans to see their team in the Premier League before returning to the second-tier Championship. Season-ticket holders from both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns are eligible to enter the ballot for the £23 tickets.