When Could We See Sporting Events Return?

May 05, 2020

There appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for sports fans. A handful of sports and leagues from Europe are now putting together plans for how they would return, should their governments allow them to.

Football is taking centre stage in this, but horse racing in the UK is also edging closer to a return, under what would be a strict set of rules with a brand new fixture list.

Premier League Aiming for June Return

The Premier League continues to have meetings regarding a return to action. Their plans are up in the air regarding where games will be played when they will be played and how things will work regarding testing of both players and staff.

However, two things do appear to be set. This is that games will be behind closed doors with the bare minimum numbers of staff in attendance. The second is that the league is doing all it can to return at the start of June, which would give them a finishing date in July.

Bundesliga the First European League Back? La Liga Making Plans

In Germany, the Bundesliga could be the first major football league to return. They originally planned for a return on May 9^th, though with the government delaying a decision until May 6^th, that now appears unlikely.

New dates mentioned are May 16^th and May 23^rd, meaning it is still the only league in Europe to be discussing a return in May rather than June. Many eyes will be on the Bundesliga, to see if they are given the go ahead and what they have in place.

Spain are seemingly following a similar plan to the Premier League, with a rumoured start date set as the beginning of June. Clubs have been making plans for that date, but like everywhere else, this will all depend on what the government decides, not what the Spanish FA want to happen.

BHA Puts Forward New UK Horse Racing Fixture List

Horse racing in the UK is hoping to get back on its feet in May. Plans have been submitted to the government to provide a safe racing environment. Fixtures would be very different to those we are used to, and alongside regional racing at selected tracks, a number of big races have been grouped together.

These are scheduled for the final two weekends of May, and the first week in June. Races such as classic trials are set for May, while the 1000 & 2000 Guineas have been pencilled in to take place at the start of June.

Nothing has actually been said about the chances of racing returning, but to see these plans released certainly gave horse racing fans hope. What the plans do show is that the BHA wants their major races to still take place, even though these will be behind closed doors and with lower prize money than normal.

It is expected that horse racing will find out their fate within the next week.

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