English football league to allow some fans

The English Football League has received government approval to stage pilot events where up to 1,000 fans can attend matches at stadiums this month.

Football has been played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic but some clubs have staged test events with a limited number of fans, with social distancing protocols in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The return of fans to stadiums has been high on the agenda of clubs across the country due to the financial strain caused by the lack of income from ticket sales.

Last week, the Premier League said it would defer test events with fans as the government's decision to cap the number of spectators at 1,000 was not feasible and would be "heavily loss-making".

Premier League chief Richard Masters predicted the 20 top flight clubs would lose a combined $1.4 billion if fans are barred from stadiums this season.