Nigel Clibbens says Carlisle United stand ready to host more “test events” to help achieve the safe return of fans to grounds.

The Blues and their fellow clubs are awaiting more details of the pilot schemes that will follow this week’s Government announcements about the return of supporters.

May 17 onwards will see limited numbers allowed to return to grounds – a date which comes after the end of the 46-game League Two season.

Premier League clubs could have 10,000 fans back for their final games of the season, and cup finals and play-off matches could also see supporters in grounds.

Before then, test games are set to be held in April, though it remains to be seen whether EFL clubs will be involved.

Asked, though, if United would be ready and keen to participate, chief executive Clibbens said: “Absolutely. We’ve wanted to get fans in at the first opportunity, and if there was another opportunity for us to do that we’d jump at the chance.

“I think we’ve demonstrated that we can do it and we can do it safely and well, so if that came along, absolutely we’d be there as soon as that opportunity came.

“We had a zoom audit on Tuesday from the Safety Authority and they wanted an update on what we’re doing inside the stadium even though we can’t have fans now in terms of player compliance and things like that.

“They’re happy that we’ve had our pilot and they’re happy with how that went, and they aren’t expecting to come back to Brunton Park any time soon.

“We’re ready to go again, if we were allowed fans we could put a game similar to Bolton [on Boxing Day, United’s most recent game in front of fans] on pretty quickly.”

Carlisle have twice been the first club to welcome fans back at different stages of the Covid-19 pandemic this season.

Last September some 1,000 supporters returned to Brunton Park for the 2-0 win over Southend, shortly before the Government again curtailed crowds at matches.

And in December, Carlisle’s place in Tier 2 of the regional system of Covid restrictions saw the Blues the first to welcome 2,000 crowds back, before the latest national lockdown was then imposed.

On the potential for fans returning in the coming months, Clibbens added: “We’re still waiting on more information because the way things are phrased at the moment is slightly unclear.

“There was talk about pilots in April, but the FA have said they’ll use the FA Cup final as a pilot, so it’s a bit unclear as to how those pilots will be worked out – whether they’d be at club level or bigger events.

“The other thing is what are they pilots for? The season will be just about finished at that point, so what are we having a pilot for?

“Is it for how we are going to run socially-distanced games in the 2021/22 season?

“That is more interesting for me – are we being sent a message to expect socially-distanced games next season?

“I think that is the subtle message that comes from it, but I might be wrong and we need more information. I’m looking at next season wondering whether we’ll be able to have the numbers we might want.”

Clibbens, meanwhile, said it was too early to know whether there would need to be any future stipulations for supporters to show proof they had been vaccinated against Covid-19 before entering Brunton Park in the future.

“In the past the government has said that under no circumstances will your social liberties be restricted by forcing people to have a jab,” he said.

“We don’t know, it’s early days with all of this. We’re not expecting to see fans at any of our games this season, then we need to see what happens for next season.”