Portsmouth have budget in place for entire season without fans at Fratton Park

The Blues chief executive has revealed a budget is in place ‘for a whole season with no fans allowed back in’ as uncertainty over the issue continues amid the coronavirus.

Back in July, Prime Minsiter Boris Johnson confirmed supporters would be able to return to football grounds in October, albeit with a reduction in capacities and stadia opening in a Covid-secure way.

That provided a glimmer of hope for Blues’ supporters whose last game watching on from the stands came against Fleetwood on Tuesday, March 10.

However, those aims were dealt a blow last week when the government announced that spectators would not be allowed to attend pre-organised pilot sports events in England following a spike in coronavirus cases.

Taking his place in Utilita Football’s British Football Podcast. Catlin said that decision was likely to push back plans to have fans back in grounds by the autumn. Pompey’s League One season commences on Saturday, September 12.

With the Blues currently haemorrhaging £700,000 per month because of a lack of match-day income, that represents a massive blow.

But Catlin admitted plans are already in place to counter such setbacks.

And one includes budgeting for games behind closed doors for the entirety of the 2020-21 season – a strategy that would have been unthinkable back in March when football went into lockdown.

Back then, Catlin admitted the worst-case scenario was a 50-per cent capacity at the start of the new campaign, with a gradual increase in numbers.

How things have changed.

The Blues CEO told the British Football Podcast: ‘I think the plan (for fans to return) was, in inverted comas, to run some trials during August/September.

‘And we were told, I think Boris said that there was potentially limited access back into stadiums in early October.

‘The pilots have been put on hold because of fears of a second wave now, so I'm assuming that the October date will be pushed back further.

‘But we've got various scenarios we're budgeting on - and one of those, unfortunately, is for a whole season with no fans allowed back.

‘I think when we started this process, our worst-case scenario was finishing last season and starting this season at 50 per cent and a gradual build-up to full capacity by the end of this coming season.

‘But that's looking extremely optimistic now, so I don't know.

‘Worst-case suddenly becomes best case. But it's really out of our hands.

‘People ask me all the time "when are fans going to be allowed back in?"

‘But I honestly don't know.’

Both Pompey’s end-of-season play-off games against Oxford United last month were played behind closed doors.