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Edgbaston to welcome 19,000 fans for England-Pakistan ODI

Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium will operate at 80% capacity for the July 13 one-day international cricket match between England and Pakistan after the fixture was added to the Government’s Events Research Programme.

It will mean that around 19,000 fans, including under 16s, will be able to attend the match without social distancing. All fans will be required to show a negative COVID-19 lateral flow test result or proof of full vaccination, with the second dose received at least 14 days before the fixture.

The announcement comes after Edgbaston welcomed around 60,000 spectators across four days as it operated at 70% capacity during England’s Test match against New Zealand from June 10-14. The match marked the first pilot event within the second phase of the ERP, which is designed to assess the wider return of fans at sporting events in England.

Stuart Cain, Edgbaston chief executive, said: “It’s fantastic for sport in the West Midlands that so many cricket fans will be able to enjoy another blockbuster fixture in England versus Pakistan at Edgbaston.

“The recent Test match gave us a fantastic opportunity to build a new model for large-scale sporting events and I’m pleased to see elements of this first trial being carried forward for the Pakistan match. Technology played a big part in this and we will again focus on using this as a way of creating a safe environment whilst enhancing Edgbaston’s reputation as one of the best atmospheres in world cricket.”

Edgbaston introduced a new smartphone app for the New Zealand Test match. The app features mobile ticketing, a queue time checker, food and drink click and collect, and a delivery seat option for disabled spectators.

The Test match saw 95% of attendees enter the stadium through a digital ticket that could be accessed via the app, which received 314,344 views across the four days of play.

The current phase of the Government’s ERP also includes UEFA Euro 2020 matches held at London’s Wembley Stadium, the Wimbledon tennis grand slam and next month’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It was confirmed last week that the British Grand Prix will be held at full capacity, meaning that around 140,000 fans could attend.

Image: Oosoom/CC BY-SA 3.0/Edited for size