COMPETITVE sport will be played and broadcast for the first time since March from Monday.

Football, tennis, horseracing, Formula 1, cricket, golf, rugby, snooker and others are all set to return to our screens shortly,

All sporting events will be held behind closed doors with extra safety measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Horse racing is among the first to resume with a meeting at Newcastle on Monday, while the Premier League is due to resume on June 17.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government wanted to "re-establish some normality in other parts of our lives" as he announced the return of live sport.

He told the Downing Street daily briefing: "For more than two months after sport stopped and after weeks of round-the-clock discussions with medical experts and professional sports bodies, I'm delighted to announce today that the government has published guidance which allows competitive sport to resume behind closed doors from Monday at the earliest.

"[Safety measures] include a screening process for coronavirus symptoms at the venue, a one-way system for people and vehicles, minimising the use of dressing rooms and of course maintaining social distancing wherever that is possible."

He also set two challenges for the return of football: "First, that a reasonable number of remaining Premier League games will be broadcast free-to-air.

"Second, that the financial benefits of returning will be shared throughout the entire football family.

"I'm glad to confirm today that a third of matches to finish the season will now be free to view including the Liverpool v Everton derby and live Premier League football will be on the BBC for the first time in its history."

 "I can now make it official: football is coming back."

He said the government is also focusing on getting grassroots sports and women's teams "back up and running".

"Visibility matters, and our daughters deserve to see female athletes on the main stage," he added.