Hundreds in Hartlepool press for reopening of football stadiums

Nationally, almost 200,000 fans have backed the idea – forcing a Parliamentary debate to take place on the issue in the coming weeks.

As of 10am on Friday, 456 people in the Harylepool Parliamentary constituency had signed the petition – among more than 8,500 from across the North East.

The petition on Parliament’s website has gathered 197,000 signatures already, and that means MPs in Westminster will have to debate the matter – with the date set on November 9.

Petition creator Ashley Greenwood said football is a "powerful tool" that brings a range of economic and social benefits.

He added: "Football can be associated with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication across the community.

"I ask for the support of this petition as I fear that smaller clubs in particular will go out of business leading to a devastating effect on people."

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden admited he wanted to see fans return to stadiums earlier this month but added: “But there is very clear evidence that, at this stage of the disease, with rapidly rising infections, we should be imposing restrictions – not further easements.”

He added: “We are doing things that are positively hateful, but the reason is to secure public safety.”

The Premier League says English football loses £100m every month without spectators, while the EFL said it lost £50m in revenue in 2019-20 and stands to lose a further £200m if fans do not return this season.