Sports' future: lesser stadiums, fewer people

Playing in less affected areas, moving training facilities, isolating teams and managing games in one or two stadiums may be the best way forward for sports in the post Covid-19 era. This was the common sentiment emerging out of a webinar hosted by SportzPower.

After weeks of inertia on the sporting front, bits of good news are trickling in from different parts of the world. South Korea have resumed their professional sports, Germany's Bundesliga have set May 16 as their return date while La Liga and a few other European leagues have hinted at following suit.

All this action, however, will take place behind closed doors. Imagine a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona in an empty Bernabeu or a Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with no spectators at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. While it may seem a little odd, that could just be the new normal for sports for a foreseeable future.

Dwelling on the topic "closed door sporting events", Jose Antonio Cachaza, the La Liga representative to India, spoke of playing in smaller venues and restricting the number of people entering a stadium.

"Real (Madrid) will play at their smaller stadium and not Bernabeu," he pointed out. "This is about 12000-seater where their 1st and 2nd division teams play. Of course, there will be strict rules like no more than 250 people will be allowed inside the stadium, including the professionals. But as of now, things will happen at every stadium in every city and not just a few designated ones."

Hemant Dua, former Delhi Daredevils CEO and sports consultant, addressed the huge economic impact that a cancellation of the Indian Premier League can have on the BCCI.

"I think in all scenarios, BCCI will try its best to host IPL, and it’s not just the BCCI but it’s the other boards who get revenues and of course the players," he began. "So, the economic impact, with the new TV deal in place now, is close to Rs 5000 crore if the IPL doesn’t take place. That’s a pretty significant number.

"Having said that, they are trying to figure out a schedule; most likely, if Australia pushes the T20 World Cup, it will all be bilateral series because the FTP calendar is going to change completely and there might be a short window of about 30 days. I think by that time we will have more clarity on where Covid is, and if that happens then I think IPL can be fitted with a full schedule having a lot more double headers," he offered.

Dua felt this is where cricket holds a unique advantage, as in back to back matches can be held in a single stadium without worrying about the pitches.

"... If there are certain areas in the Red Zone and if there is not enough transportation between the cities, we could look at a lesser number of stadiums. Good part about cricket is that in a ground you normally have four-six strips (pitches). So, you can keep changing strips and having a match the next day. It really doesn’t affect. You can keep three strips ready and have three matches in three days over different strips. This is what happens if we move (IPL) to another country like the UAE. But I don’t think that will happen, if it (IPL) happens, it will happen in India."

Lydia Buthello, who formerly worked with Star TV and has the experience of handling events like IPL, Pro kabaddi and badminton leagues, felt rolling out non-contact sports which require smaller venues and involve less logistical complications, would be the ideal way to test the waters.