York City are ready to ‘grasp with both hands’ the opportunity to bring fans back to games.
When England comes out of lockdown, stadiums are to be allowed to welcome limited numbers of spectators, if they are in a Tier 1 or 2 area.
Stadiums in Tier 1 will be allowed to hold up to 4,000 socially-distanced fans. In Tier 2 areas they can welcome up to 2,000 spectators.
York City said it welcomed the news.
In a statement, the club said: “There is nothing more important to us than getting fans back into Bootham Crescent and we’re doing everything we can to make that happen.
“However, this might take time because of the unique and challenging situation we find ourselves in.
“As our fans know, we have been poised to move out of Bootham Crescent and into the LNER Community Stadium for a number of months. Therefore, we have been careful not to unnecessarily invest important club funds into Bootham Crescent.
“With the stadium move delayed, we have been left somewhat in limbo keeping Bootham Crescent operational only for behind closed doors matches, working to government guidance on a return of crowds into stadiums in March and waiting for the green light to move to our new home in the ‘Christmas period.’
“Now we have an unexpected chance to get fans back into Bootham Crescent and so we are going to grasp it with both hands and do everything we can to try and make it happen.”
The club needs to obtain a number of external approvals and certificates, which club staff are working on.
More information is promised soon.