Northampton Saints welcomes today’s confirmation from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that elite sports clubs in England can return to training.
The announcement enables Saints to continue to develop plans for the playing squad's return to individual training with social distancing in place within our facilities at Franklin’s Gardens – and in turn, take the first steps towards a resumption of the Gallagher Premiership.
“The welfare of the playing group, our rugby and operations staff and their families has to be our number one priority.”
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive
“We have done a huge amount of work in recent weeks to lay the foundations for our players and staff to make a safe return to training, and this announcement allows us to continue to press forward,” said Mark Darbon, Saints Chief Executive.
“However, it’s important to state that there is still much more work to be done before any training can resume here at Franklin’s Gardens. The welfare of the playing group, our rugby and operations staff and their families has to be our number one priority.”
Darren Childs, Chief Executive at Premiership Rugby, added: “With the support of all stakeholders, our job is now to find a safe way for one of our greatest national sports to thrive.
“Our priority is the health and safety of supporters, players, management, staff and the wider community, so our season will resume only when it is safe to do so. I’d like to thank the RFU, RPA and Professional Game Board, for their high levels of collaboration throughout the crisis.”
Northampton Saints supports in full the lockdown measures currently in place across the UK, and urges all supporters to continue to strictly follow the guidance from the Government and Public Health England.
