English club Chester warned they may have breached Welsh Covid restrictions with matches

Chester’s ground straddles the Welsh border and the pitch itself is fully in Wales, where crowds are not allowed to attend sporting events

Chester’s Deva Stadium is located in Wales (Getty Images)

Chester Football Club has been told it is in breach of the Welsh government’s Covid-19 regulations after fans attended recent matches at the club’s Deva Stadium.

Chester is an English club and the stadium address is listed as England due to the location of the club’s offices. However, the site of the ground straddles the Welsh border and the pitch itself is fully in Wales.

Wales banned crowds from attending sports events in the run-up to Christmas as the Omicron variant surged in the UK and those rules remain in place, but England has not brought in any restrictions.

The National League North side had fans attend their home games against Telford on 28 December and Fylde on 2 January.

In a statement on Friday, the club said: “This morning Chester Football Club was invited to a meeting with representatives of North Wales Police, Flintshire County Council, Cheshire Police and Cheshire West & Chester Council.

“During this meeting, the Club was given a joint letter on behalf of North Wales Police and Flintshire County Council which outlines potential breaches of Welsh Coronavirus Regulations at our fixtures on 28thDecember 2021 and 2nd January 2022.

“It also states the Club may commit further potential breaches if it continues to play home fixtures with crowds while the current restrictions in Wales remain in place.

“We were informed this was based upon direction from the Welsh Government that the premises of Chester Football Club are governed by the Welsh Regulations. The Welsh Government was not represented at the meeting.

“It was agreed that all parties would seek further legal advice given the complex issues and future implications of any outcome. We will provide a further update to our supporters as soon as we are able to.”