Salford Red Devils & Leeds Rhinos Rugby League clubs have qualified for the Challenge Cup Final on 17th October 2020. However, due to the government's strict guidelines around spectators attending sports games, fans who have dreamt of a Wembley appearance for 51 years in Salford case are unable to attend the game. This leaves a huge amount of die-hard Salford fans, many of whom are in their 60, 70 & 80s etc extremely disappointed that they may miss their last opportunity to see their club play on the hallowed Wembley turf. This is devastating for our supporters and we believe they should have the chance to attend the final. This is more than just a game. 

Just over the channel, the French government have recently eased restrictions which allows for 5,000 spectators to attend sporting events. Catalan Dragons have hosted both Wigan and Wakefield in the last few weeks and there have been no reported Covid-19 repercussions as far as we are aware. This should give the UK government the confidence that they can allow supporters back through the turnstiles. 

It is clear that Wembley, being a 90,000 capacity stadium and the largest in the country, could easily accommodate 10,000+ spectators socially distanced. Therefore, we believe the government should make the considered decision to allow spectators back into sporting arenas for one game due to the importance of this fixture to so many people devoted to their clubs. 

Additionally, on Monday 5th October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was imploring the public to visit and support movie theatres following the news that Cineworld & Odean were due to temporarily close their UK operations. We believe if people are able to visit an indoor cinema socially distanced, logically it makes sense for people to attend sports games in outdoor stadiums. 

Please sign and share this petition far and wide and get behind the cause. 

This is more than just a game.