The Blame Game

On Friday 17th July, 126 days after competitive football was suspended, the Football Association announced that the Government had approved its plan for the return of the National game. Non-league football now has a roadmap to return, as long as it has the “necessary modifications in place to mitigate the transmission risk of COVID-19”. The phased return to competitive football starts now, with competitive training for up to 30 people. From August Clubs can play pre-season friendlies, with a view to the League season starting in September.

For the Toolstation Western League, the 2020/21 season can begin from Saturday, September 5th, ahead of the Southern League, which is set to start on September 19th. The FA are urging Clubs, players, coaches, match officials, league officials, volunteers and fans to read their guidance, in addition to the latest Government guidance on COVID-19.

The FA press release, hailing the return of competitive football, made clear that: “A return to competitive football should only happen once clubs and facility providers have completed the necessary risk assessments and comprehensive plans are in place.” And in so doing the FA gave the clearest indication that making football Covid-19 compliant was going to be someone else’s problem.

Whilst their press release congratulated themselves on “working hard over recent weeks to prepare guidelines for the safe return of grassroots football”, they omitted to identify who would be responsible for ensuring this guidance would actually be met, leaving Clubs, players and officials in limbo as to whether the FA’s protocol was a suggestion or a requirement.

As licenced premises, football clubhouses are subject to the same regulation as pubs and restaurants, leaving local Councils with the responsibility to monitor their compliance and investigate complaints. Yet outside the clubhouse, who will be responsible for monitoring social distancing and test and trace? Leagues may be the first port of call, but will complaints made to them simply be passed on to County FA’s to investigate?

Football's greatest challenge to become Covid-19 compliant rests on the limited resources and expertise available at the base of the pyramid. Volunteers already hard stretched to manage a matchday now find themselves with the unenviable task of managing social distancing in the stands, bars, turnstiles and toilets. During play, players must regularly sanitise themselves and the ball, especially when it leaves the field of play.

Government guidance requests that players “avoid unnecessary breaking of social distancing such as pre-game handshakes, huddles, face-to-face confrontation with opponents and officials, and scoring celebrations.” Bad news if you are a star striker, good news for match officials, unless of course match officials are set to be given new powers to manage on field Covid-19 breaches?

If Club Officials were left scratching their heads about just how much work they’d need to do get their ground Covid-19 compliant, many were left fuming at the FA’s stipulation that pre-season fixtures must be played behind closed doors. 

Given that gatherings of more than 30 people are currently not permitted, this revelation is hardly surprising. However, as early as June 19th the FA told the Step 5 and 6 Leagues, of which the Toolstation Western League is one, that Clubs cannot resume their season ‘behind closed doors’. Pedants will point to the fact that “season” does not mean “pre-season”, but if we’ve got to the stage where we are attributing as much weight to what the FA aren’t saying, as what they are, then Non-League football really is in a parlous state.

As football, at every step of the pyramid, rebuilds in the wake of Covid-19, communication from the Government and the FA must be crystal clear. Pre-season provides Clubs with an opportunity to claw back valuable revenue denied to them over recent months by the global pandemic. Whilst many fans will celebrate the safe return of football, the economics of the game, particularly at the base of the pyramid, rely on pints, pies and programmes.

Any measures limiting Clubs income, coupled with the increased costs of becoming Covid-19 compliant, not to mention the “impact on travel costs” for match officials, recognised in the FA’s own guidance document, could push Non-League Clubs past a financial tipping point that means they’d be better off not playing. It’s hard to believe that the FA haven’t recognised this fact but then again they didn’t consult the Step 5 and 6 Leagues on any of the provisions they were considering putting in place to restart football, provisions that apply from the Vanarama National League to the Toolstation Western League. 

Its worth reflecting on the fact that when it came to ending the 2019/21 season, the FA treated the National League differently to the way they voided the Leagues below, including the Southern League and the Western League. Yet when it comes to restarting non-league football, all Steps appear to be treated equally, save in one respect. The strat date. The Chairman's opening remarks at the June 19th meeting clearly stated that "if at Steps 5 & 6 we start before Steps 3 and 4, then you will find a flood of people turning up at Step 6 matches as they are the only matches available for people to attend, which would then contravene Government Regulations. Thus we must remain together in this as a untied set of Leagues." By July 18th this position had changed. Clearly when it suits the FA they are perfectly happy to treat the Steps differently, so why can't this be reflected in their restart guidance?

The FA’s failure to consult, coupled with the failure to clarify which measures are mandatory, is likely to lead to a two-tier approach to compliance, where those with the resources and inclination are likely to take a dim view on those perceived to be playing fast and loose. The football family, like the rest of society has had to come to terms with the greatest restriction of liberty any of us have ever known. For any of us to continue under that regimen we must have absolute clarity on what is required of us and ultimately what is to happen to those who won’t make the effort or the sacrifice for the greater good. Otherwise, what is the point?

Midsomer Norton Cricket looking for the Stars of Tomorrow

Midsomer Norton Cricket Club’s senior players returned to action earlier this month and younger players now have a chance to play the game for the first time in 2020.

Starting on Friday 24 July at 6.45pm, All Stars Cricket for children aged 5-8 years old will get under way for the first of six weekly, Friday evening sessions. To attend, all you need to do is to register at the ECB website.

All Stars Cricket provides a fantastic first cricket experience with six weeks of jam-packed fun, activity and skills development. The programme is designed to introduce children to the sport, teaching them new skills, helping them make new friends and have a great time doing so.

Every child that registers will receive a backpack full of goodies, including: 

• Backpack
• Cricket bat
• Cricket ball
• Personalised shirt with your child’s name
• Cap

All children returning to All Stars, will receive a new bat, ball, personalised t-shirt and a set of stumps.

Also on Friday, between 6-7pm, the club will be open for registration for Under 9,11,13 and 15s players.

New members are always welcome at the club, so if you (or one of your children) are interested in joining the club, then please contact the Club.

Footballs Staggered Start

As pubs and restaurants re-opened on July 4th, football fans eagerly awaited news of when the beautiful game might once again return. Five days later the Government announced the return of recreational sport, which the Football Association hailed as “the safe return of competitive grassroots football”, yet a week later the football family is still none the wiser as to what our “new normal” will actually look like.

We do know that the FA have submitted their action plan for getting football back underway, to the Department for Culture Media and Sport. Once approved, this will signify that football is “in compliance with COVID-19 Secure guidance”, a prerequisite for any organisation that wishes to operate outside of the general Coronavirus guidance.

The burning question occupying Club Officials, fans and players alike, is what concessions have the FA had to make to get us playing and watching again? Indeed, these negotiations have gone on behind closed doors, so to speak, with no consultation of the Leagues and more importantly the Clubs, who will be required to implement the guidance.

The FA made it clear at a Leagues meeting on June 19th that non-league football can only be played in front of fans, yet we don’t know how many fans that might be and there is growing speculation in the game that the FA’s insistence about playing in front of fans may not extend to pre-season. Indeed, the FA also talked about restarting the non-league pyramid at the same time, but there is growing speculation that the FA have reneged on that commitment, preferring instead to start the National League ahead of the Leagues below. The staggered restart may prove to be a sensible strategy, but if found to be correct, it calls into question all of the governing bodies other commitments to the grassroots game.

In terms of the detail, we know that wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets will become mandatory from July 24th, but we don’t know whether this will extend to football grounds. We know that pubs and restaurants have been collecting contact details to support the test and trace programme, so we can only assume that Clubs, already following much of the advice required for the hospitality industry to re-open, will need to do the same. One way systems, hand sanitising stations and socially distanced queuing are all measures we’ve been coming to terms with in recent months, but unlike the supermarkets and petrol stations, the responsibility to implement and manage these restrictions will fall on the volunteers, not paid professionals. 

How rigorously these restrictions will need to be implemented and whether there is any elasticity in the guidance between the top and the bottom of the pyramid, remains to be seen. Football is notoriously a game of the haves and the have nots and if we are to get back playing and watching again, the whole of the football family will need to come to terms with this new reality. As with pubs, some Clubs will be better at adhering to the guidance than others. Leagues lack both the inclination and resources to police Clubs efforts to become Covid compliant. So where will the final responsibility lie?

The FA’s own guidance to the Leagues has put the onus back onto the Clubs. Every Club at Steps 1 to 6 is responsible for producing their own Action Plan, which must be published on the Club’s website, whether they have one or not. So for any fan, player or official not happy with the arrangements they find at particular grounds, what should they do and will this be addressed in the FA’s guidance?

We really are in this together, so for anyone concerned about the suitability of a Clubs Covid compliance I’d suggest a friendly word in the ear of the Chairman is the right way to go. If we really want football to return we all going to have to work collectively to make sure that restrictions are applied and respected. I’m not advocating turning a blind eye to breaches of compliance, simply that our focus should be on constructive criticism. If Clubs can’t, or won’t, address the most important aspects of making their facilities Covid safe then I’d suggest its up to the County FA’s to step in, given that they have the personnel and punitive powers to bring Clubs into line.

The guidance published by the FA can’t only address how Clubs can open up to spectators or how players can safely use changing rooms, it needs to recognise that a shorted 2020/21 season will bring with it its own challenges. What if we experience a second wave, would we void another season? Would we take a pre-season played behind closed doors, if it meant grounds could open up to some, or all, spectators from September?

As the days pass, speculation grows about what footballs “new normal” will look like and who’ll get to watch it. The Coronavirus, much like the great British weather, won’t observe the niceties of the Leagues Committee’s meeting schedule, so we need to come up with an approach that is better, more responsive and much more representative of our football family and our beautiful game. Whether we get that detail by the end of this week remains to be seen, but there can be no doubt that a one size fits all approach won’t work for the non-league pyramid, whether the start is staggered or not.

Paulton Rovers Ladies set to Kick Off 2020/21 Season

Paulton Rovers FC are proud to announce the first female section of the club as Paulton Rovers Ladies affiliate for season 2020/21.

After being tenants for the previous two seasons, Purnell Sports Ladies were offered the opportunity to become part of the club and in the last couple of weeks a deal has been agreed that should be a great platform to promote the female game in the local area.

The Ladies section comes with an established squad of around 40 players as well as new players already starting to train for the forthcoming season.

The club will run a First & Reserve team competing in the Somerset County Women's League and is therefore able to offer football opportunities for a range of abilities. 

Games are played Sunday afternoons with a 2pm kick off on the main Paulton Rovers pitch at Winterfield Road and training is twice weekly through summer and once through winter.

The Ladies section are also looking for sponsors to help them promote the female game in the local area by ways of kit, training wear and related press promotions.

If you know anyone interested in playing or are a local business interested in getting involved please contact Nick Doble on paultonroversladies@gmail.com in the first instance

Paulton Rovers Call First Orders at the Bar!

Paulton Rovers club reopened on Saturday with careful social distancing and adhering to all the Government guidelines.

The club has now opened to everyone and the opening hours, during the week, are from 5pm to 10 pm and weekends noon until 10 pm.

The first team start training at Winterfield Road from 6-30 pm on Thursday (9 July).

Jon Filer who has been the U18's asssistant manager for a number of years has decided to step from his other role as Reserve team manager. The Reserves reformed last season had a successful season in the Mid Somerset League prior to the premature ending.

Paulton Rovers are seeking a new manager/coach to run their Reserves team. This will entail working closely with the first team Management and the Development Centre, the successful applicant would be expected to maximise the use of local talent as much as possible. Applicants for the vacancy should email their details to the Football Chairman Dave Bissex.

The Rovers Return

After a lot of hard work by Paulton Rovers volunteers and committee members, the club will be ready to open at noon on Saturday 4 July with social distancing measures in place.

A replacement carpet for the one damaged by the recent flood in one of the bars is awaited.

This weekend the club will open from noon until ten o'clock and from Monday to Friday next week from 5-00 pm until 10 pm. All Rovers fans need now is the return of Southern League football!