Simulated crowd noise, cardboard cut-outs and a drive-in cinema - the ideas Saints are considering if rugby returns behind closed doors

It is one of a number of things Darbon and Co are considering with the likelihood that Saints will be unable to play in front of supporters in the stands when they get back on the field.

The expectation is that a ban on mass gatherings will remain, even if the government allows rugby to make its comeback in July and August as has previously been mooted.

And that means Saints are having to come up with ideas of how to keep their fans involved safely.

Darbon was head of Olympic Park operations during the London 2012 Olympics and is not afraid to think outside of the box.

“We are dedicated to delivering an outstanding supporters experience at Saints,” Darbon told the Telegraph.

“If we have to operate behind closed doors then we must remain committed to that principle.

"It’s an opportunity to show some imagination and be innovative to maintain the connection with our supporters, but also give the players the right stage on which to perform.

“Clearly we would rather not play in empty stadia, and nothing is confirmed in the Premiership yet, but we have to be ready should it become a reality.

"And, we’re determined to come out of the challenges this situation presents with some ideas which will be useful when we get back to normality, too.”

The drive-in rugby concept was initially pioneered in Denmark by football club FC Midtjylland.

It would allow supporters to listen to TV commentary through their car radio and watch live footage via big screens erected in the car parks at the Gardens.

“This is an idea that we’re currently exploring which we actually heard about when a Danish football club discussed it,” Darbon added.

“We have around 2,500 car parking spaces on site at Franklin’s Gardens so we have the capability - we just need to do some more work on the interest levels from our supporters and

whether we can do it safely and securely.

“We hosted an outdoor cinema on the pitch for two nights during the summer last year, so it would just be an adjusted version of that.

“The parking spaces are in quite close proximity to the stadium so if the supporters were to collectively toot their car horns to celebrate a home try, the players would definitely hear their support.”

Simulating crowd noise during matches, installing cardboard cut-outs of supporters, allowing season-ticket holders to 'check-in' to their seats and leave messages of support for the team and other social media initiatives including ‘googlebox-style’ viewing are also in the pipeline.

And Darbon has held talks with Saints boss Chris Boyd and the senior playing group about what kind of impact it would have on performance should crowd noise be simulated inside the stadium.

Darbon said: “One of the last live sporting matches I watched was a closed doors Champions League game just before lockdown and they definitely did something there to simulate crowd noise. In my mind, it enhanced the viewing experience.

“Likewise, at Franklin’s Gardens we don’t generally play music when points are scored as our supporter base generally prefer it that way, but in an empty stadium it may be that our players would respond to music at certain points, so we’ll definitely have a look at that too, in collaboration with the squad.”

Saints are ready to consult with supporters to see what the interest levels are like for the various concepts.

“We’ve seen an initiative from Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga which we thought was a lovely example of the ingenuity sports fans will go to to support their teams,” added Darbon.

“We’d be open to a similar idea for our season tickets holders if they were keen; so if they’re not able to watch a match at Franklin’s Garden, they can be there in spirit.

“Alternatively we’re looking at a concept where supporters can ‘check-in’ to their usual seats online and leave messages of support to the players.

“We may also look to try and create a chat room on our matchday website portal so our supporters could interact with the people they are sat amongst on a regular match day. With so many sports fans watching with a second screen open these days we think some of our supporters might respond to additional interaction such as this.”

Premiership Rugby broadcasters BT Sport are also said to have discussed with the league about the use of remote controlled cameras.

“We may look to roll out additional ideas to enhance our supporters' TV viewing experience too,” added Darbon.

“One suggestion one of the staff at Saints had was for a kind of ‘Gogglebox’ style programme – it would be great to capture the reactions of some of our supporters, or maybe even staff or players not involved in the game whilst they watch from home.

“We’re also considering using some of the non-playing members of the squad to provide additional saints specific insight following the games or in play to give our supporters a unique perspective.”