Wimbledon Final to pilot a full capacity sporting event

Wimbledon Final to pilot a full capacity sporting event

Wimbledon, tennis’s biggest tournament looks set to be the first UK outdoor event to hold crowds at a full capacity, since the pandemic began 15 months ago.

The competition will get under way on June 28th, with a 50% crowd capacity expected to be in attendance. However, the finals weekend on the 10th and 11th of July will see a full 15,000-capacity crowd head to centre court to see the men’s and women’s finals.

The All England Club made a statement in which they stated;

“we are pleased to have worked closely with the government, public health bodies, and our local authority in Merton, to confirm that….the Championships 2021 will begin on Monday 28 June with 50 per cent capacity across the Grounds, building to a full capacity crowds of 15,000 on Centre Court for the Finals weekend”

At the start of May, The Crucible held the first full capacity indoor crowd for the World Snooker Championship final. It was the first full capacity event since the Cheltenham Festival where close to 69,000 spectators went to watch the races. Which was just before the pandemic sent the country into lockdown.

The numbers at the Crucible was a modest 980, which normally would be seen to be a smaller crowd. However, it has come as a big first step to normality again. With the Euros also up and running, UEFA and the FA have been liaising with governing bodies on how they can move from the current 1/4 capacity at stadiums such as Wembley, to a 2/3 capacity towards the end of the tournament.

We welcome the announcements from @BorisJohnson and @OliverDowden that a number of events, including The Championships 2021, can be held with higher spectator capacities than the current Step 3 guidance as part of the Government's Event Research Programme.

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— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 14, 2021

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