Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as stadi
Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:36 am
Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as stadium event planned
Large outdoor gatherings will be happening again in Wales soon under a plan to hold a number of test events
By Jon Doel
Friday 1st April 2021
It's been a long time since fans were allowed to attend sporting events
Some fans will be allowed to return to sporting events in the coming weeks, with the Welsh Government announcing a pilot scheme for outdoor mass gatherings.
A small number of outdoor test events of between 200 and 1,000 people are being planned, and the first of those are due to be held in April.
They will include cultural and sports events across Wales, including a potential stadia event. All events would be subject to Local Authority and public health agreement.
A number of test events were held across the UK last summer when the first lockdown was eased, but the plug was soon pulled when Covid-19 cases began to rise again.
It's understood the Wales football team have asked if their Euro 2020 send-off match against Albania in Cardiff on June 5 can be a test event.
In August last year, the Welsh Government rejected a request from Cardiff City to use a pre-season friendly as a test event for a limited number of supporters.
Earlier this month, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "We will continue to approach the issue the way we did last year. There will be pilots, there will be experiments, they will happen in other parts of the United Kingdom, and we will learn lessons of those.
"We want to be able to carry out some modest pilots here in Wales, and when conditions allow, we would want to do that.
"If the pilots go well, and if the situation with the virus continues to improve then I don't think it is beyond the realms of possibility at all, that by the end of this calendar year we might see the return of spectators to sporting venues, albeit, it will have to be in ways that take account of the continuing risk that coronavirus would pose."
Sports fans haven't been able to attend events in Wales since March 2020, just before the country went into lockdown as the coronavirus pandemic hit.
The test events won't just be sporting fixtures, with cultural gatherings also part of the plan.
The Welsh Government is working with the Muslim Council to consider how they can also incorporate events to help people celebrate Eid at the end of Ramadan in May. All events would be subject to Local Authority and public health agreement.
Large outdoor gatherings will be happening again in Wales soon under a plan to hold a number of test events
By Jon Doel
Friday 1st April 2021
It's been a long time since fans were allowed to attend sporting events
Some fans will be allowed to return to sporting events in the coming weeks, with the Welsh Government announcing a pilot scheme for outdoor mass gatherings.
A small number of outdoor test events of between 200 and 1,000 people are being planned, and the first of those are due to be held in April.
They will include cultural and sports events across Wales, including a potential stadia event. All events would be subject to Local Authority and public health agreement.
A number of test events were held across the UK last summer when the first lockdown was eased, but the plug was soon pulled when Covid-19 cases began to rise again.
It's understood the Wales football team have asked if their Euro 2020 send-off match against Albania in Cardiff on June 5 can be a test event.
In August last year, the Welsh Government rejected a request from Cardiff City to use a pre-season friendly as a test event for a limited number of supporters.
Earlier this month, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "We will continue to approach the issue the way we did last year. There will be pilots, there will be experiments, they will happen in other parts of the United Kingdom, and we will learn lessons of those.
"We want to be able to carry out some modest pilots here in Wales, and when conditions allow, we would want to do that.
"If the pilots go well, and if the situation with the virus continues to improve then I don't think it is beyond the realms of possibility at all, that by the end of this calendar year we might see the return of spectators to sporting venues, albeit, it will have to be in ways that take account of the continuing risk that coronavirus would pose."
Sports fans haven't been able to attend events in Wales since March 2020, just before the country went into lockdown as the coronavirus pandemic hit.
The test events won't just be sporting fixtures, with cultural gatherings also part of the plan.
The Welsh Government is working with the Muslim Council to consider how they can also incorporate events to help people celebrate Eid at the end of Ramadan in May. All events would be subject to Local Authority and public health agreement.
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:33 pm
According to drakeford the crowds will be 100 to 1000 spectators! 
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:40 pm
If the Welsh Conservatives, win the assembly they are going to end social distancing on June 21..
We can go where we want do want we want..
That's great for us who have had the two vaccines.
We'll be back in the stadium no restrictions.
We can go where we want do want we want..
That's great for us who have had the two vaccines.
We'll be back in the stadium no restrictions.
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:49 pm
stickywicket wrote:If the Welsh Conservatives, win the assembly they are going to end social distancing on June 21..
We can go where we want do want we want..
That's great for us who have had the two vaccines.
We'll be back in the stadium no restrictions.
Wont win be close though.... but original plan was for limited crowds without restrictions like masks social distancing! But like everything about this pandemic panic sets in ......so now gone from around 10k fans to 1k? A totally pointless exercise get more than 1k on Barry beach or bute park ect so what is 1k in stadium holding 35k going to prove? SFA
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:33 pm
Judging on the state of the Bay and Pontcanna Fields earlier this week, these 'pilot events' have started... 
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:43 pm
Sven wrote:Judging on the state of the Bay and Pontcanna Fields earlier this week, these 'pilot events' have started...
Chris what it does show is that the 1k he will apparently allow at test event is nonsense and it will mean no fans inside ccs until after season starts! Despite what we've seen lately the main problem is visits to other houses every spike as been contributed to social mixing together indoors.
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Sun Apr 04, 2021 4:08 pm
I would imagine it will be at a cricket match , as Drakeford is a big cricket fan. He doesnt like football , thinks its too working class !
Re: Outdoor pilot events to be held in Wales from April as s
Sun Apr 04, 2021 4:45 pm
nojac wrote:I would imagine it will be at a cricket match , as Drakeford is a big cricket fan. He doesnt like football , thinks its too working class !
FAW as indicated they would be interested in having a test event before leave for euros! But 1k fans is a total waste of time and effort and will prove S.F.A other than you can get 1k fans inside 35k stadium?
