Paul Barber has urged Albion fans to resist the temptation to come to the Amex when Premier League action resumes on 20th June.
All of Albion’s five remaining home games are scheduled to be played behind closed doors at the Amex, and the club’s chief executive has stressed how important it is that fans stay at home.
He said, “It’s really important that supporters do not come to the stadium or the vicinity of the Amex on matchdays.
“As a club we went out on a limb in our opposition to neutral venues. Even without fans it will be great to be in our own environment to play five really important fixtures but any breach of that trust will put us in a really bad place, not just in terms of our remaining home games but also for next season.
“It’s vital that all fans stay away from the stadium, but I am confident they will because they realise the importance of this.”
All of Albion’s remaining matches will be televised with the Arsenal fixture being shown on BT Sport.
Barber also outlined some of the plans which will improve the matchday experience for fans watching games on TV.
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He added, “Whatever we do won’t replace 30,000 fans in the stadium, but we will try to make sure all the stadiums have a degree of uniformity so that it instantly looks like a Premier League match you are watching.”
The club have already announced the Fan in the Stand scheme, which will see hundreds of cut-outs of Albion supporters in the upper tiers of the East Stand.
“We will individualise our stadiums and, as well as the Fan in the Stand initiative, there will also be engagement with fans through technology. It’s an interesting process and we’ll obviously take feedback from fans as we go along.
“Let’s be clear, whatever we do can’t and won’t replace 27,000 partisan Albion fans and 3,000 away supporters, or please everyone’s tastes, but we are making a big effort to ensure the games are as watchable and as enjoyable as they can be in what are very challenging circumstances for all clubs.”