Coronavirus rates deny Wolves fans chance to return in September

WARRINGTON Wolves fans will have to wait a bit longer to see their team live, after Super League announced four games to be played in front of limited fans at the end of the month.

Attendances of 1,000 will be allowed at games on September 30 – but Warrington’s game away at Salford has been left off the list due to “high coronavirus incidence rates”.

It is now 189 days since fans were allowed to watch the Wolves live, away at Hull on March 12 – and 195 days since the last home game in front of a crowd, against Castleford back on March 6.

Nigel Huddleston MP, Sports Minister, said: “We recognise that many RFL clubs are operating on very tight financial margins and the professional game is facing unprecedented pressure but we are doing all we can to help.

“On top of the recent £16 million emergency support we have provided to safeguard the immediate future of the sport, I am pleased that we are working closely with the RFL to run a number of capped, covid secure, and socially distanced pilots during the remainder of September. This will help us continue to build the evidence base to assess how fans can return in greater numbers, as soon as it is safe to do so.”

The Wolves have played five games since the Super League re-start, winning all five, and are due to face St Helens in the Challenge Cup this weekend.

They are scheduled to play home games against Wigan on October 8 and Leeds on October 14, but it remains unconfirmed as to whether these will be played at the Halliwell Jones Stadium or at a central venue – or indeed, if fans will be allowed to attend.

The Government has been working towards enabling fans to return to elite sport from October 1, in a COVID safe manner, but recent rises in coronavirus cases, localised lockdowns and revised guidelines has put pressure on that deadline.

Fans will be allowed in to Warrington’s game away at Catalans, scheduled for Monday 26 October. The French club welcomed 5,000 fans for their home game against Wigan last weekend in Perpignan.