Wimbledon: Capacity crowds for men’s and women’s finalson June 14, 2021 at 7:23 pm

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Wimbledon’s men’s and women’s finals will be played in front of full capacity crowds – the first UK outdoor sporting events to do so since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wimbeldon 2019

The tournament, starting on 28 June, will begin with 50% ground capacity.

That will then rise throughout the tournament before the two finals on the 15,000-capacity Centre Court.

Wembley will also be able to host matches at 50% capacity – around 45,000 – for the knockout stages of Euro 2020.

Those events are being treated as fan pilots – exempt from strict capacity limits despite the government’s decision to delay the easing of all remaining coronavirus restrictions until 19 July.

Previous pilots included the World Snooker Championship final at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, which was the first British sporting event to be held with a full capacity crowd.

Discussions are ongoing with British Grand Prix bosses about holding the event, scheduled for 18 July at Silverstone, with extra fans.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “We want to gather further evidence on how we can open up all big events safely, and for good.

“The expansion of trials of the NHS app and lateral flow testing will mean that bigger crowds will be able to attend a limited number of major sporting and cultural events early this summer as part of our events research programme.

“In the next few weeks, this means more fans enjoying the Euros and Wimbledon, and some of our biggest cultural and sports events.”

At Wimbledon, the women’s singles final takes place on 10 July and the men’s singles final is on 11 July.

“We are continuing to work closely with the Government to finalise the details including the requirements for Covid-status certification for spectators,” the All England Club, which organises the tournament, said in a statement.

“We are pleased to have worked closely with the government, public health bodies, and our local authority in Merton, to confirm that, as part of this next phase of pilot events, the Championships 2021 will begin on Monday 28 June with 50% capacity across the grounds, building to full capacity crowds of 15,000 on Centre Court for the finals weekend.

“This will enable us to fulfil our aspiration of staging the best Wimbledon possible within the current circumstances, with the health and safety of all those who make Wimbledon happen – our guests, competitors, members, staff, media, officials, local residents, and partners – remaining our highest priority.”

England’s Euro 2020 group matches at Wembley, including the opening match against Croatia on Sunday, were permitted to hold 22,500 fans. That was more than double the 10,000 maximum allowed at Premier League grounds for the last two rounds of fixtures in the season in May.

At non-seated outdoor venues, such as racecourses, there is a current capacity cap of 4,000.

Fans who attend England’s group games are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test before entry.

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

Newcastle’s historic Champions League campaign 20 years onon September 19, 2023 at 5:09 am

Newcastle return to Champions League action after 20 years on Tuesday, and BBC Sport has retraced the steps of their last historic campaign.Newcastle return...

Match of the Day pundits celebrate Shaw’s goalon July 11, 2021 at 7:40 pm

Match of the Day pundits Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand celebrate Luke Shaw's goal to take the early 1-0 lead...

Ukraine crisis: Criss-crossing the country with Zelenskyon February 20, 2022 at 5:01 am

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford travels with Ukraine's leader amid his efforts to prevent a Russian invasion.

Imran Khan: Pakistan’s Supreme Court rules arrest was illegalon May 11, 2023 at 4:12 pm

Judges order the immediate release of Pakistan's former PM, who has been charged with corruption.By Simon Fraser & Caroline Daviesin London and IslamabadPakistan's...

Champions League Final: I have asthma and was tear gassed twice – Liverpool fanon May 29, 2022 at 7:18 am

French police fired tear gas at Liverpool supporters as they queued to enter the stadium in Paris.