(7 Jul 2021) LEAD IN:
England's Wembley Stadium is playing host to six Euro 2020 championship matches, including Sunday's (July 11) final.
For local businesses in northwest London's Wembley, returning fans have been a welcome boost, after 16 months of coronavirus restrictions.
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It's called Wembley Way, a popular walk for fans before entering one of the most famous stadia in the world.
And local businesses in northwest London hope that walk might lead to them.
The nearby Moulin Cafe has been serving sports fans traditional English breakfasts for years.
"I'd get here on a Saturday, on a cup final day, and there were people waiting outside to come in. And they might have travelled all night, from up north or from down south, they'd be sleeping on the seats until we opened at half six," says manager George Georgiades.
The cafe manager says the pandemic hit his business' finances. They spent some time operating with a "shadow staff" and claimed government support.
But now, with fans returning to the area for Euro 2020 matches, "the future's looking bright," he says.
"But then again, after this, we've only got two more events and then a lot of shows have been cancelled. But as a spectacle, having the Euros at Wembley Stadium… it just lifts the people up and it's something I think we needed in this country."
It's a far cry from the last 16 months, which saw few large-scale, well-attended sporting events or concerts at the 90,000-seater stadium.
England's national football stadium, Wembley was accustomed to hosting frequent gatherings before the pandemic struck, including cup finals, concerts, and some NFL fixtures. The stadium opened in 2007 on the site of the old 1923 stadium.
On Moulin Cafe's walls hang signed team shirts and a poster of late Queen singer Freddie Mercury, a reference to the group's famed 1985 Wembley performance.
"I know when it was closed, when Wembley Stadium was closed, how much my business missed it. (I) didn't understand how many people work at Wembley Stadium, how much business it generates from day to day," says Georgiades.
"We did miss Wembley Stadium."
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed his government planned to scrap laws requiring face masks and social distancing in England on July 19, though a final decision will come on July 12.
The removal of social distancing rules will allow nightclubs to reopen for the first time in 16 months, and people to once again order drinks at the bar in a pub.
No longer will customers have to scan a phone app to provide their contact details when entering a venue.
Authorities are also allowing over 60,000 fans to attend Wembley's Euro semifinals and final, as part of gradual restriction easing.
But lockdown easing hasn't come soon enough for the stadium's nearby Green Man pub.
Owner Mal Preedy says they used to welcome some 3,000 fans on match days, current coronavirus restrictions mean that's been limited to about 1,000.
Once one of the closest pubs to Wembley Stadium, it's unlikely it has seen this much disruption since it began serving back in 1878.
"Just being closed for so long and having to reopen and having to do table service and having to try to tell people that they have to sit down, you know, when have a drink. It's very difficult to convince people that that's what they have to do. So, it's been a very hard year," says Preedy.
Despite that, Preedy is happy to welcome back fans and look to further coronavirus restriction easing later in the month.
This summer's Euro championships have been "a little bit more special," he says.
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