It feels like a lifetime ago since we have any Premiership football on our screens due to the suspension brought about because of the Coronavirus outbreak with it still being uncertain if the league will actually return this season at all or how the season will be concluded.
However, there have been various glimmers of hope recently with murmurings that a number of Premier League clubs are planning for their teams to resume training around May 9th, as currently, the government lockdown is due to end on May 7th.
This may be wishful thinking as the lockdown in all likelihood could be extended, meaning a further pushback for the season resuming.
With the absence of the Euros this year could the premiership feasibly be run into the summer months?
Also, if Germany is any indication of a return of top-flight football then we may be forgiven for feeling optimistic as the top 36 clubs there look set to resume the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 seasons on May 9th, if the German government allows.
As expected the return of the Bundesliga comes with stringent guidelines and protocol to be followed including
– Confirmation of no coronavirus symptoms in the last 2 weeks
- Separated arrival times for all players who must arrive individually
- Ideally goalkeepers, starting teams and substitutes have separate changing areas
- All equipment must be used with face masks and gloves to be cleaned before and after use
- Open all doors to prevent contact with door handles as the virus can live on surfaces for hours
- Players must bring own food and keep separate named water bottles
- Various showering guidelines inclusive of social distancing
The above is just a selection of some of the rules so it is clear to see that officials are not taking any chances and have set up all necessary precautions to minimise the chances of infection before, during and after a match.
We can expect a similar set of guidelines and steps to keep Premiership teams and staff safe when it returns.
If the possibility of teams training could resume as soon as May 9th, when is it likely we will see our first Premiership match again?
Well if the betting markets are anything to go by it seems June is favoured. With 54% of bets placed on the return being pegged against this month on Smarkets.
47% of bettors on this market are more pessimistic backing July or later, with just 4.55% believing we could see a Premiership game in the month of May.
Below is how the markets for the return have moved over the last two weeks
OddsMonkey Spokesperson Peter Watton, commented “We are all waiting patiently for the return of ‘football’ but with no real concrete indication on a return date, the betting markets, government announcements and action taken by other European leagues are the data sources we have available to us which give us some indication for a ‘best’ guess.”
“Betting markets seem to think June is most likely, with the recent developments in Germany and rumours that some premiership teams are resuming training on May 9th this could be likely, we hope!”
