TORONTO —
The Montreal Impact is set to be the first professional sports team in Canada to host play in front of spectators amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team will allow some fans at their first Major League Soccer home game Tuesday night.

The club announced Aug. 20 that a maximum of 250 people will be allowed in the 20,081-seat arena when the Impact take on the Vancouver Whitecaps. The crowd of 250 is the maximum allowed under Quebec public health rules.

Montreal Impact president and CEO Kevin Gilmore told CTV’s Your Morning that the club has been following provincial guidelines since the start of the pandemic in regards to training, travel and now keeping its fans safe.

Gilmore explained that allowing spectators to return to Saputo Stadium is the next step in getting back to normal during the pandemic.

“We felt it was important for us to bring some normality back to both our players and also our fans, albeit in a very restricted way and felt it was important for us to kind of be the first ones to do this, given the opportunity to do it,” Gilmore said Tuesday.

“I think we’re all seeking a little normality these days and this is just a small piece of life as we used to know it.”

Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps said they will not have fans for their home games despite Montreal’s plan. The three Canadian teams are only playing each other for the next month because of border restrictions.

Gilmore said the strictly enforced health measures in place at the stadium include mandatory mask-wearing for spectators over age 10, staggered entries and exits, and temperature checks upon entry. Also, groups are restricted to a maximum of four people and must be part of the same family. The club will also be spacing the 250 fans out over multiple sections of Saputo Stadium to ensure physical distancing is maintained.

Gilmore added that by purchasing a ticket, fans attest that they have not had a fever, cough or any other symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

“We’re really making sure that we are as safe as possible support to ensure the safety of our players, our staff and ultimately our fans. So we plan on making this one of the safest events you can go to,” he said.

While concessions will be open for food and drinks, Gilmore said it will be a different experience for fans who will be offered a selection of prepared boxed lunches instead of individual items.

“It’s not like you’re going to be able to walk up and look at a full menu. We’re going to have a restricted menu with meal and drink and people can show up at the concession and simply order it pre-prepared,” Gilmore said.

In addition, marshals will be handling lines for the concessions and bathrooms to make sure fans are physical distancing.

While the MLS season was put on hold because of COVID-19, Gilmore says the staff and players have followed provincial guidelines and are ready to return to the field.

“Now we’re back at it with a Canada-only Phase 1 and Phase 2 that remains to be determined in terms of whether we going to play any home games [against U.S. teams] in Montreal,” Gilmore said. “I don’t think coordination has been the issue, it’s just keeping players and staff focused on a season that will take place in light of all the uncertainty we’ve had since March.”

Gilmore explained how the team had only just started its season when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of the world.

“We started, we played two games, we played three games in the CONCACAF Champions League and it came to a halt. Then we spent almost four months in isolation before we restarted and played in Orlando,” he said.

The Montreal Impact staying in an MLS bubble in Orlando during their restart and quarantined for the mandatory 14 days upon their return to Canada. The players were unable to train during this two-week period as the club was unable to get any modifications approved to their self-isolations, Gilmore said.

“It’s been difficult because it’s been an odd season,” he added.

After its Aug. 25 game against the Whitecaps, the Impact will host Toronto FC on Aug. 28. The two teams will play again at BMO Field in Toronto on Sept. 1, followed by a third and final game in Montreal on Sept. 9.

Montreal will then head Vancouver to take on the Whitecaps in two matches on Sept. 13 and Sept. 16.

With files from The Canadian Press