Luton Town players will be returning to training on Monday, with chief executive Gary Sweet saying the club are going above and beyond measures suggested by Public Health England and the Department of Culture Media and Sport.
Hatters players have not been allowed at The Brache training headquarters for two months after football was shut down at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League clubs returned to training yesterday as part of their ‘Project Restart’ and amid twice-a-week testing that revealed just six individuals from three different clubs had tested positive for Covid-19.
Championship clubs will follow suit and Sweet said: “We’re returning to training on Monday for the full squad or those that are fit, and a very, very tight group of staff.
“There will be two or three sessions during the day, of small groups of players, that will have contact. We will be testing players twice a week.
“What we’re doing is in terms of the testing and the protocol around the training ground, it’s going way above and beyond the recommendation of Public Health England and DCMS that are coming into professional sport.
“So, I would argue that anybody would take more risk taking a visit to the supermarket than any of our players are, by coming to train, so we have to be really quite sensible about this.
“If we’re not going to come back to train and potentially play in a month’s time, now, when are we ready? When is that point going to be? What are the circumstances that are going to give us the opportunity to do that?
“When I look at other people, the staff working on the frontline and even my postman or the delivery driver, players and coaching staff are in a much safer environment coming into our training ground, training two or three times a week than any of those guys are.
“We’ve got to play a part in society as well and we’ve got to get back to normality as quickly as we can.”
With no match-day income since Town last played at Kenilworth Road on February 29 – when they drew 1-1 with Stoke City – testing is expected to further cost the club that has already furloughed staff and parted ways with manager Graeme Jones and three of his staff.
“On the costs, the costs have been somewhat elaborated by a number of clubs that don’t want to play,” Sweet said, adding: “The cost of that testing over the period to complete the season, the return to training and return to play period, isn’t fully known, but it doesn’t extend to the million quid that has been quoted by one or two clubs.
“How can you say it’s a manageable, sum, when we’re in the financial position we’re in? But it is more manageable than not playing and the reason for that is, is that ultimately if we didn’t play, we could be into a more serious situation with regards to refunds, for ticket holders, season ticket holders, executive members, and certainly the league will be in a much more serious situation with regards to a refund on broadcast rights.
“So, if you then look at the cost deficit of both situations then we’re probably taking the route of least loss.”
