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.
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?
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?
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