The Premier League is tentatively scheduling a plan which involves games starting from June 1, which would allow them to finish the season within the space of six weeks and begin the 2020-2021 campaign on August 8, heading off a financial catastrophe for clubs carrying huge wage bills.

The June 1 start date, in ten weeks’ time, remains a target rather than anything approaching a certainty but with the postponement of the European championships by Uefa this week this is one of the best-case scenarios being considered by the Premier League and the Football League. The games would be behind closed doors, which is by now a universally accepted proviso, and would need the government to sanction the presence of emergency crews within the ground.

Those resources are currently in short supply amid the coronavirus pandemic that has seen an unprecedented shutdown of pubs, cafes, restaurants and public spaces, and no professional football played in the United Kingdom since April 13. The Premier League, EFL and Football Association agreed on Thursday that there would be no games played until April 30 at the earliest but all governing bodies pledged to complete the 2019-2020 season.

Under the June 1 plan there would be a six-week window to get the season finished up to around July 11, including the FA Cup, which would be challenging but possible and would satisfy the requirements of broadcasters, including the key partners Sky Sports and BT Sport. Just as important, it would allow next season to begin on time, the second season in the current three-year £9.2 billion deal with domestic and international broadcasters.

If the season could be completed within a six-week timeframe then it would allow a further four weeks of preparation and rest to get the players ready for another season. Although finishing this current campaign is the priority there is also the necessity of beginning the new season, vital to fulfil the broadcast contracts. There is the issue of some players being out of contract after June 30 although that is not viewed as insurmountable by the clubs with governing body Fifa, who regulate registrations and transfers, promising to intervene.

Premier League: top six