Championship can't return without fans, insists Dewsbury Rams hooker Sam Day

A decision is expected next week on a potential resumption and whether or not promotion to Super League will still be on the table.

The top flight is scheduled to restart on August 2 without supporters and at a selection of neutral venues.

However, with second-tier clubs getting a very small slice of the broadcast money that is handed out to Super League clubs, playing without fans is not seen as financially viable for numerous Championship sides.

“It is the crowds, whenever supporters are allowed then we will be alright,” said Day of a potential restart.

“Until then you can’t see it.

“Pubs have just opened to a certain amount of people, it’s probably going to be a few months before they allow big groups of people into the stadiums.”

Dewsbury had won three of their four league games before the suspension of the campaign.

Day would be happy to play every side just once, if it meant returning to action before the end of the year.

The Rams hooker feels one of the factors behind the club’s fine start to the campaign has been head coach Lee Greenwood having a full pre-season at the club.

“Even if it is just playing each other once, instead of twice, that would be good,” he added.

“I think Lee [Greenwood] has got everyone working hard for each other and he has the squad he wanted.

“Last year he came in late so he got a lot of the players who were already there and not necessarily the ones he wanted to bring in.

“Now he has got the right type of player and everyone is working hard in training and it pays off in a game.”

Day joined Dewsbury from Featherstone Rovers in 2017, initially on loan, but has remained at the club since.

“I only live two minutes away from the Dewsbury ground, so it is easy for me and I don’t want to play anywhere else at the minute,” he said.

“It is game time as well, I wasn’t really playing before I moved here. I am playing a lot more and that makes it a lot more enjoyable.”

It was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday that fans could return to stadia in October, dependent on the succesful outcome of pilot events.