“Today’s announcement is also hugely encouraging on the timeline for the reintroduction of football to the hundreds of thousands of recreational players in the country,” Maxwell added. “This will obviously be dependent on adhering to the current guidelines, whilst seeking more detail on the phasing and scaling of phases 2 and 3. We welcome the opportunity to start planning on the re-introduction of children’s and youth football and look forward to clarifying the position on the adult grassroots game. It is clear that in the first stages of the re-introduction of grassroots football will focus on local activity within a club setting and no league or match activity will be possible within the proposed timescales announced today.”

Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive: “This is a vital step everyone in Scottish football has been waiting for. We are not taking anything for granted, and are committed to adhering to all relevant medical and government guidelines, but clubs and supporters can definitely now see light at the end of the tunnel.”