'No football': What sports can you play under the new lockdown restrictions?

This morning Secretary of State Dominic Raab spoke on BBC breakfast to clarify what would be permitted under the new rules, insisting that social distancing must still be adhered to at all times.

Following yesterday’s announcement, government officials said that tennis, water sports, angling and golf would be permitted as long as social distancing was enforced.

However, when asked this morning (May 11) about whether people could play football under the new rules, Raab said: “No, I don’t think so because you can’t stay two metres apart.”

He went on to explain that any sport where it is impossible to remain two metres apart at all times would not be permitted.

He said: “So, we do want people to play more sport and let me give you one example of something you can do.

“Two people from the same home could go and play tennis, because that’s something where they could stay two metres apart from everyone else.

“What you couldn’t then do, and this is why we say you’ve got to stay alert, you couldn’t then go into the clubhouse and mill around where you will be within two metres of other people.

“So, football would be one of those where I think would be very difficult to stay two metres apart if you’re playing, you know, 11-a-side or even five-a-side.”

Men in Sheffield attracted criticism last week when they were spotted playing football in Norfolk Park.