Coronavirus

[#Beebot]

I’m leaning more towards this viewpoint now, particularly in the National League itself, now that the terms of the loan are public. It seems a relatively small financial hit to keep operating as football clubs, which is what we’re all supposed to be, during a really difficult time.

As much as I'd love to see football continue, I couldn't criticise the clubs if the loans were on or near commercial terms. But they really aren't. Step 2 clubs have no right to refuse to take any financial hit - obviously they aren't short on cash, but all EPL and EFL clubs have.

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

We will only vote to null and void the season if it’s physically impossible for us to complete and survive the season if the original money was divided fairly in the first place we wouldn’t be in this mess now, we have only signed two players this season one to replace our left back who went to Chesterfield he is playing for nothing and a young lad from Stoke and they are paying his wages.

 

[Minstermen central]

We will only vote to null and void the season if it’s physically impossible for us to complete and survive the season if the original money was divided fairly in the first place we wouldn’t be in this mess now, we have only signed two players this season one to replace our left back who went to Chesterfield he is playing for nothing and a young lad from Stoke and they are paying his wages.

Spot on about funding first time and not given equally,think Boringwood got £95 a fan and Hungerton next highest,but out of 16 on list 12 are bottom of leagues and have piss poor fan base so they would of been rewarded well first time.
League 3-6 have received funding to play how do they get promoted?
It makes my blood boil when teams like Stevenage last season get a reprieve from relegation and Aldershot year before.
South Shields missed out last season unfairly and could miss out again when Blyth have hardly won a game in 2 years,no wonder they are on list with all bottom 12.

 

[Darlofan97]

I’m absolutely staggered at the replies on this thread, absolutely staggered.

I’d be surprised if any of you are actually aware of the real life impact these loans will have on clubs, especially the ones with small turnover (impact on balance sheet, cash-flow, credit rating, ability to lend in future, liabilities of the company & Directors etc).

Oh how nice it must be to sit there on your ivory towers, turning over £1 million+ per season with Chairmen willing to step in at any moment to cover any cash issues.....

Step 2 clubs have every right to not take on these loans, and I am sure they will exercise this right accordingly. It isn’t a simplistic as saying “well the loans are on good terms so just take them on”. There are a range of different risks to consider, that are being ignored for some reason....

 

[#Beebot]

I’m absolutely staggered at the replies on this thread, absolutely staggered.

I’d be surprised if any of you are actually aware of the real life impact these loans will have on clubs, especially the ones with small turnover (impact on balance sheet, cash-flow, credit rating, ability to lend in future, liabilities of the company & Directors etc).

Oh how nice it must be to sit there on your ivory towers, turning over £1 million+ per season with Chairmen willing to step in at any moment to cover any cash issues.....

Step 2 clubs have every right to not take on these loans, and I am sure they will exercise this right accordingly. It isn’t a simplistic as saying “well the loans are on good terms so just take them on”. There are a range of different risks to consider, that are being ignored for some reason....

The issue is that you cannot demand that your financial hit is no greater than zero. The loans are not impact free, but the terms are generous enough that they are not going to be crippling for clubs.

If that is not the case then that's where the grants come in. But I think the clubs know that they are not impoverished enough to be eligible, though you wouldn't think so judging by their statements.

 

[Darlofan97]

The issue is that you cannot demand that your financial hit is no greater than zero. The loans are not impact free, but the terms are generous enough that they are not going to be crippling for clubs.

If that is not the case then that's where the grants come in. But I think the clubs know that they are not impoverished enough to be eligible, though you wouldn't think so judging by their statements.

Why should clubs be forced to take on hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt, if they do not want to?

Take a moment to think about the impact that will have at Step 2, where the clubs are smaller & turnover is less. There will be a direct impact on jobs, investment and cash-flow.

All for the sake of the next 17 weeks of football in the middle of a pandemic.

The idea of clubs taking on this debt for the next 10-20 years “because it is affordable year-on-year” is just too simplistic and you cannot guarantee that. What if some of these clubs get relegated and their turnover decreases further and they are unable to repay their loan?

 

[rudebwoyben]

Spot on about funding first time and not given equally,think Boringwood got £95 a fan and Hungerton next highest,but out of 16 on list 12 are bottom of leagues and have piss poor fan base so they would of been rewarded well first time.
League 3-6 have received funding to play how do they get promoted?
It makes my blood boil when teams like Stevenage last season get a reprieve from relegation and Aldershot year before.
South Shields missed out last season unfairly and could miss out again when Blyth have hardly won a game in 2 years,no wonder they are on list with all bottom 12.

It’s not Aldershot’s fault that Gateshead was being run unsustainably as a football club!

 

[Jerry]

Excellent statement from Altrincham here:

Carry on playing, say Alty - we owe it to the integrity of the league to finish the season | Altrincham Football Club

Club statement

www.altrinchamfc.com

 

[jacobncfc]

Best one I’ve seen - puts it perfectly.

 

[Darlofan97]

Good to see an Notts County (7th) fan agree with a Torquay (1st) fan regarding a statement from Altrincham (4th).

With a like from a Sutton United (2nd) fan to top it all off!

See how this supposed self-serving from clubs lower down works?

 

[Jerry]

Another good one here from Boston Utd:

Club Statement - 29/01/2021

Boston United chairman David Newton has issued a statement in relation to the National League North campaign.

www.bostonunited.co.uk

The proposed loans are at 2% interest over 20 years with nothing to pay back for the first 4 years.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Yeah that is a good response from Alty, a club who’ve obviously been at the forefront of getting the promotion places out of non league. I can also see the difficulties for the smaller clubs of carrying on.

Fuck knows, I’m just glad I’m not involved with having to make these decisions.

 

[DarkSithLord]

An important point to come out of today’s NL meeting was that the Winter Survival Fund is NOT to replace lost revenue but to keep clubs alive to the end of the season. This is not the basis grants for Oct to Dec were allocated on nor what clubs were told support would cover.

Some clubs have had over £300k in grants, others have had £90k. The distribution model was fundamentally flawed and now clubs won’t be compensated for the loss of matchday revenue (as they were assured they would be). It is not a level playing field.

It’s a bit disappointing to see some clubs suggesting otherwise and attempting to shame others to suit their own motives. We will focus on what’s best for
@ChesterFC
.

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

An important point to come out of today’s NL meeting was that the Winter Survival Fund is NOT to replace lost revenue but to keep clubs alive to the end of the season. This is not the basis grants for Oct to Dec were allocated on nor what clubs were told support would cover.

Some clubs have had over £300k in grants, others have had £90k. The distribution model was fundamentally flawed and now clubs won’t be compensated for the loss of matchday revenue (as they were assured they would be). It is not a level playing field.

It’s a bit disappointing to see some clubs suggesting otherwise and attempting to shame others to suit their own motives. We will focus on what’s best for
@ChesterFC
.

Nail on head.

 

[Optipez]

Good to see an Notts County (7th) fan agree with a Torquay (1st) fan regarding a statement from Altrincham (4th).

With a like from a Sutton United (2nd) fan to top it all off!

See how this supposed self-serving from clubs lower down works?

It's self serving to want to cancel the league when you're bottom too.
The clubs committed to starting the season, integrity to the league and the pyramid system means it has to be finished.
The flipside of not finishing is that the Football League would have every right to renege on admittance to it as we would have proven ourselves to be unreliable and tin pot, their members would insist that relegating them would be a death blow to their club. Once that link is broken there's no guarantee it ever comes back.
Altrincham get it.

 

[DarkSithLord]

It's self serving to want to cancel the league when you're bottom too.
The clubs committed to starting the season, integrity to the league and the pyramid system means it has to be finished.
The flipside of not finishing is that the Football League would have every right to renege on admittance to it as we would have proven ourselves to be unreliable and tin pot, their members would insist that relegating them would be a death blow to their club. Once that link is broken there's no guarantee it ever comes back.
Altrincham get it.

Yes. Hence why there are separate votes for Step 1/2
I just feel Sorry for Wealdstone,Weymouth etc who are going to be forced to continue?

 

[DarkSithLord]

The following is written by a Gloucester City fan on their forum who also is a board member of the National League..............

I’ll answer the above two posts in a personal and truthful manner - as someone who has more knowledge for obvious reasons but I am not egging it for any personal agenda - unlike others.

When on 23 March 2020 the Government stopped all activities in society and just not sport, let alone football, nothing like this had happened since 1939. Therefore no one knew what to do. That lead to differing opinions. No one had a clue and it was worse than 1939 because then it did not happen at the time it did with this pandemic with so much of the season having been played. On average clubs only had 7 games left.

The National League in the way it has evolved over the years it always had a difficulty where it stood in the game since it went from one division to three. This is due to most of its regulations being governed by the FA, it’s ability to promote clubs to the EFL is governed by the EFL. There is not one rule which permits the NL to have a say. The EFL could shut the route tomorrow if their Clubs voted it. And the FA and the NL are powerless. That’s another reason why the vexed issue of 3G pitches is a constant battle.

So behind the scenes the NL has always been two competitions in one. Having served the League in many roles over 23 years and having been a voting Board member whilst at FGR and later an independent director my knowledge is first hand.

So when Steps 3 and 4 and below decided, under the control of the FA, to very early on Null and Void their Leagues, there was much angst and even legal proceedings aka South Shields and others.

So straight away clubs in the NL were pulled in differing directions. Many wanted to see the same happen (N&V) whereas many wanted to see the League play on. Those arguments and positioning went on for two months. My preference was to call it a day and settle all divisions on PPG; and whether like it or not, whilst no clubs should be promoted or relegated between our own divisions, we could still - how the EFL regulations were framed - put forward a Champion and a Runner Up to the EFL.

But the fly in the ointment was the EFL, who were in their own arguments with the PL over similar styled issues. It became a right mess. Then Government in May introduced the terminology of Elite Sport which allowed first the PL and then the EFL to continue playing if they applied Protocols to safeguard safety of participants and these came down in forms of guidelines issued by DCMS.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...recreation

Despite this the EFL still had reservations and this caused in fighting between their divisions and whether in League Two they were going to relegate one Club (don’t forget Bury was still another issue) to keep alive the promotion and relegation with the NL. I am sure I do not need to remind anyone about the campaigns raised to support Stevenage on one side and Barrow on the other, which ultimately saw the shameful demise (my opinion) of Macclesfield who were thrown to the wolves, despite many like me in the NL to save them. Their demise impacted on all three NL divisions.

In amongst all this going on, the NL were in a no win situation because a lot of clubs felt that the League should be decided on a PPG basis like the EFL had voted for in Leagues One and Two and like the EFL had done - kept their Play Offs.

I still personally thought it was a mess but as an independent on the Board I did not get a vote. And when legal writs started flying around you know no on is going to listen to you because it’s all about what certain people want for themselves and not for the game. I left the Board. I was already standing down after 12 years on it and that decision was made public in 2019 so it had nothing to do with the wrangles going on through May and June.

I was personally amazed to see a chink open up which saw a legal vote undertaken under the Articles of the Ltd Company which determined from the vote how the Clubs would, like the EFL, settle League positions by PPG and determine Barrow as Champions for promotion, despite the fact that the EFL had still not settled the Stevenage or Macclesfield saga. The full outcome saw Play Offs for Step 1 but to do so DCMS stated we would need similar Protocols etc and mandatory testing. For those Clubs who were in the position of Play Offs for the EFL that would cost them circa £50k but they all accepted that for the chance of reaping the £1M bonanza if they got promoted. This was agreed by the EFL and FA and yours truly was approached to write up the protocols and all other documents. So having stepped away one week I was back in a consultant role over Covid regulations where I have been since mid June in charge of Operations.

The Play Offs were announced on the understanding the NL top division was considered to be Elite Sport because most clubs were full time and 95% of players contracted were deriving a living from playing football. DCMS lays down in their guidelines a definition of an elite athlete. The NL therefore went ahead expecting there to be just a series of 5 games at the very top and no relegation or promotion elsewhere in the whole League.

Then the North and South clubs started a social media campaign led by Havant and York primarily, which lead to the so called infamous letter from DCMS that it was not their job to determine who was Elite Sport. Backed by lobbying from MPs to Ministers that Step 2 should be classed elite sport like Step 1, they won the day. I personally did not subscribe to those views and everyone knows the shouting that went on over those respective views. The majority had their way and that is democracy. You bite the bullet and move on!

Being responsible for writing up the protocols I said to those who would listen - be careful what you wish for. When you become part of Elite Sport it’s not something you can dip in and out of. This will be long term if the pandemic comes back in the intimated numbers predicted by scientists through second and third waves. And it has!

Having won their day the DCMS included Step 2 which meant for Play Offs at that level there had to be relegation from Step 2. So next in came Fylde and Ebbsfleet with legal challenges which cost the NL thousands to take legal advice to thwart those challenges and to support the democratic vote at Step 2. Personal attacks followed on Board members which were reprehensible.

So with that threat looming over then the Board still supported the democratic wish of the Clubs at Step 2. But like Step 1 the cost of the Play Offs would have to fall heavily on the shoulders of those clubs. Testing was very much in its infancy and was not cheap and with no crowds, unlike the Step 1 Play offs, they did not have BT Sport income. To help out the League changed lots of regulations to allow streaming which the NL arranged.

Ironically both Havant and York went out at the first time of asking and the NL eventually won the legal challenge with Fylde/Ebbsfleet and the 2019/20 season was finally concluded in the first week of August with promotion achieved for six clubs.

From my point of view the protocols went really well but I was personally worried that if we had to play 2020/21 behind closed doors how some clubs would financially fmanage, even at Step 1 let alone Step 2.

I couldn’t see how it would work but then Govrrnment announced that crowds could come back starting in October so NL clubs agreed to start in October and all 66 had to agree and sign off their protocols etc before they could return to training etc. It was a hard slog and myself and my team had lots to do and explain to 66 clubs what was expected of them now they were all part of elite sport. We knew that spectators had to be limited and a process was developed by SGSA how to evaluate a social distanced crowd and each had to do that and have it not only approved by my team but by their own local authority. I have to say I’ve never worked so hard plus arranging Zoom meetings to explain the ramifications.

Then disaster!

A couple of weeks before kick off Boris dropped the bombshell that he would not allow spectators back in at elite sport level. The FA were called in over a multitude of issues, mainly around player contracts etc etc. The upshot was that whilst grassroots football could have limited spectators, elite sport couldn’t. Many clubs wanted the removal of elite sport status including some who had fought for it to get into the Play Offs. This proved my point of being careful what you wish for. Again the majority won the day.

Lots of discussions went on with DCMS and the FA and then Government announced that a financial support package would be provided which would allow the NL to start its season. The Clubs accepted this albeit nothing had been seen as to the actual detail. The FA were dealing with DCMS as part of the overall package for football. DCMS would only deal with the governing body.

I was as surprised as anyone when the financial assistance actually came from Camelot. Without going into the whole ramifications of who said what or that and whilst the NL Board has taken stick it is not right they take all the blame. They’ve been pulled this way and that and I am so glad my house is not currently under threat by legal endeavours to sue individuals Board members. It’s all about me, me, me; and not us.

On my side of the fence I see lots of points put on the table for discussion but this latest situation is not the fault of any individual. Nothing is black and white. The suspension of the North and South for two weeks I think is wrong but an overwhelming majority of clubs in those two divisions expressed that’s what they wanted, whereas it was the opposite in the top division. No doubt we shall see more lobbying by different clubs for their own benefit. Again it shows in my opinion why Step 2 should not have been elite sport in the first place.

All I know is this weekend saw a full list of fixtures in the National and only one game due to be lost in Notth and South through Covid. The suspension currently in place has nothing to do with Covid-19 and safety at grounds. I hold all the data. This is all about money and nothing else. And as I repeat every week in Operational Bulletins I do not do financials. My role is very clear and just when we have no clubs in lockdown or COVID cases under investigation this happens. But I’ll carry on because I’m a football man and I want to help. I can attest it’s not been easy with Clubs having private meetings and getting differing groups together to suit themselves and bugger the rest.

In closing the latest happenings is not the result of any voting members of the Clubs agreeing to suspend the Notth and South to protect their own Clubs or self serving. No it’s what the Clubs have asked for in those two divisions. And surprise surprise it’s the Clubs at the top of of divisions who don’t want it suspended.

Who me cynical ......not a chance!!

 

[Alty Pieman]

Seems very clear from that,.. every man for himself again ! hasnt it always been thus ?

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

It's self serving to want to cancel the league when you're bottom too.
The clubs committed to starting the season, integrity to the league and the pyramid system means it has to be finished.
The flipside of not finishing is that the Football League would have every right to renege on admittance to it as we would have proven ourselves to be unreliable and tin pot, their members would insist that relegating them would be a death blow to their club. Once that link is broken there's no guarantee it ever comes back.
Altrincham get it.

They 300k get it.

 

[Optipez]

Infection rates are dropping quickly, vaccination has already happened to the majority of the most vulnerable and is carrying on apace. This is the first time in a year when there's cause for genuine rational optimism rather than just hope.
March 3rd is a date where restrictions are supposed to begin to ease. There's no reason to think that by the end of March as the numbers should have radically fallen that the football industry should be pushing very hard along with all professional sport, the arts, heritage and entertainment industry to get supporters in to save our fantastic sporting and cultural institutions, not just football.

 

[Super_horns]

Well I am CEV and getting my first jab next week so hopefully they'll get to the general public about March/April time.

 

[Stoney Ground]

Well I am CEV and getting my first jab next week so hopefully they'll get to the general public about March/April time.

I’m CofE, and praying I get the vaccine soon

 

[chief]

We're the only club exempt from any funding owing to our location.

The National League don't half have it in for us. Probably run by Barrow, Chester and Chesterfield fans.

 

[Swedes]

The following is written by a Gloucester City fan on their forum who also is a board member of the National League..............

I’ll answer the above two posts in a personal and truthful manner - as someone who has more knowledge for obvious reasons but I am not egging it for any personal agenda - unlike others.

When on 23 March 2020 the Government stopped all activities in society and just not sport, let alone football, nothing like this had happened since 1939. Therefore no one knew what to do. That lead to differing opinions. No one had a clue and it was worse than 1939 because then it did not happen at the time it did with this pandemic with so much of the season having been played. On average clubs only had 7 games left.

The National League in the way it has evolved over the years it always had a difficulty where it stood in the game since it went from one division to three. This is due to most of its regulations being governed by the FA, it’s ability to promote clubs to the EFL is governed by the EFL. There is not one rule which permits the NL to have a say. The EFL could shut the route tomorrow if their Clubs voted it. And the FA and the NL are powerless. That’s another reason why the vexed issue of 3G pitches is a constant battle.

So behind the scenes the NL has always been two competitions in one. Having served the League in many roles over 23 years and having been a voting Board member whilst at FGR and later an independent director my knowledge is first hand.

So when Steps 3 and 4 and below decided, under the control of the FA, to very early on Null and Void their Leagues, there was much angst and even legal proceedings aka South Shields and others.

So straight away clubs in the NL were pulled in differing directions. Many wanted to see the same happen (N&V) whereas many wanted to see the League play on. Those arguments and positioning went on for two months. My preference was to call it a day and settle all divisions on PPG; and whether like it or not, whilst no clubs should be promoted or relegated between our own divisions, we could still - how the EFL regulations were framed - put forward a Champion and a Runner Up to the EFL.

But the fly in the ointment was the EFL, who were in their own arguments with the PL over similar styled issues. It became a right mess. Then Government in May introduced the terminology of Elite Sport which allowed first the PL and then the EFL to continue playing if they applied Protocols to safeguard safety of participants and these came down in forms of guidelines issued by DCMS.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...recreation

Despite this the EFL still had reservations and this caused in fighting between their divisions and whether in League Two they were going to relegate one Club (don’t forget Bury was still another issue) to keep alive the promotion and relegation with the NL. I am sure I do not need to remind anyone about the campaigns raised to support Stevenage on one side and Barrow on the other, which ultimately saw the shameful demise (my opinion) of Macclesfield who were thrown to the wolves, despite many like me in the NL to save them. Their demise impacted on all three NL divisions.

In amongst all this going on, the NL were in a no win situation because a lot of clubs felt that the League should be decided on a PPG basis like the EFL had voted for in Leagues One and Two and like the EFL had done - kept their Play Offs.

I still personally thought it was a mess but as an independent on the Board I did not get a vote. And when legal writs started flying around you know no on is going to listen to you because it’s all about what certain people want for themselves and not for the game. I left the Board. I was already standing down after 12 years on it and that decision was made public in 2019 so it had nothing to do with the wrangles going on through May and June.

I was personally amazed to see a chink open up which saw a legal vote undertaken under the Articles of the Ltd Company which determined from the vote how the Clubs would, like the EFL, settle League positions by PPG and determine Barrow as Champions for promotion, despite the fact that the EFL had still not settled the Stevenage or Macclesfield saga. The full outcome saw Play Offs for Step 1 but to do so DCMS stated we would need similar Protocols etc and mandatory testing. For those Clubs who were in the position of Play Offs for the EFL that would cost them circa £50k but they all accepted that for the chance of reaping the £1M bonanza if they got promoted. This was agreed by the EFL and FA and yours truly was approached to write up the protocols and all other documents. So having stepped away one week I was back in a consultant role over Covid regulations where I have been since mid June in charge of Operations.

The Play Offs were announced on the understanding the NL top division was considered to be Elite Sport because most clubs were full time and 95% of players contracted were deriving a living from playing football. DCMS lays down in their guidelines a definition of an elite athlete. The NL therefore went ahead expecting there to be just a series of 5 games at the very top and no relegation or promotion elsewhere in the whole League.

Then the North and South clubs started a social media campaign led by Havant and York primarily, which lead to the so called infamous letter from DCMS that it was not their job to determine who was Elite Sport. Backed by lobbying from MPs to Ministers that Step 2 should be classed elite sport like Step 1, they won the day. I personally did not subscribe to those views and everyone knows the shouting that went on over those respective views. The majority had their way and that is democracy. You bite the bullet and move on!

Being responsible for writing up the protocols I said to those who would listen - be careful what you wish for. When you become part of Elite Sport it’s not something you can dip in and out of. This will be long term if the pandemic comes back in the intimated numbers predicted by scientists through second and third waves. And it has!

Having won their day the DCMS included Step 2 which meant for Play Offs at that level there had to be relegation from Step 2. So next in came Fylde and Ebbsfleet with legal challenges which cost the NL thousands to take legal advice to thwart those challenges and to support the democratic vote at Step 2. Personal attacks followed on Board members which were reprehensible.

So with that threat looming over then the Board still supported the democratic wish of the Clubs at Step 2. But like Step 1 the cost of the Play Offs would have to fall heavily on the shoulders of those clubs. Testing was very much in its infancy and was not cheap and with no crowds, unlike the Step 1 Play offs, they did not have BT Sport income. To help out the League changed lots of regulations to allow streaming which the NL arranged.

Ironically both Havant and York went out at the first time of asking and the NL eventually won the legal challenge with Fylde/Ebbsfleet and the 2019/20 season was finally concluded in the first week of August with promotion achieved for six clubs.

From my point of view the protocols went really well but I was personally worried that if we had to play 2020/21 behind closed doors how some clubs would financially fmanage, even at Step 1 let alone Step 2.

I couldn’t see how it would work but then Govrrnment announced that crowds could come back starting in October so NL clubs agreed to start in October and all 66 had to agree and sign off their protocols etc before they could return to training etc. It was a hard slog and myself and my team had lots to do and explain to 66 clubs what was expected of them now they were all part of elite sport. We knew that spectators had to be limited and a process was developed by SGSA how to evaluate a social distanced crowd and each had to do that and have it not only approved by my team but by their own local authority. I have to say I’ve never worked so hard plus arranging Zoom meetings to explain the ramifications.

Then disaster!

A couple of weeks before kick off Boris dropped the bombshell that he would not allow spectators back in at elite sport level. The FA were called in over a multitude of issues, mainly around player contracts etc etc. The upshot was that whilst grassroots football could have limited spectators, elite sport couldn’t. Many clubs wanted the removal of elite sport status including some who had fought for it to get into the Play Offs. This proved my point of being careful what you wish for. Again the majority won the day.

Lots of discussions went on with DCMS and the FA and then Government announced that a financial support package would be provided which would allow the NL to start its season. The Clubs accepted this albeit nothing had been seen as to the actual detail. The FA were dealing with DCMS as part of the overall package for football. DCMS would only deal with the governing body.

I was as surprised as anyone when the financial assistance actually came from Camelot. Without going into the whole ramifications of who said what or that and whilst the NL Board has taken stick it is not right they take all the blame. They’ve been pulled this way and that and I am so glad my house is not currently under threat by legal endeavours to sue individuals Board members. It’s all about me, me, me; and not us.

On my side of the fence I see lots of points put on the table for discussion but this latest situation is not the fault of any individual. Nothing is black and white. The suspension of the North and South for two weeks I think is wrong but an overwhelming majority of clubs in those two divisions expressed that’s what they wanted, whereas it was the opposite in the top division. No doubt we shall see more lobbying by different clubs for their own benefit. Again it shows in my opinion why Step 2 should not have been elite sport in the first place.

All I know is this weekend saw a full list of fixtures in the National and only one game due to be lost in Notth and South through Covid. The suspension currently in place has nothing to do with Covid-19 and safety at grounds. I hold all the data. This is all about money and nothing else. And as I repeat every week in Operational Bulletins I do not do financials. My role is very clear and just when we have no clubs in lockdown or COVID cases under investigation this happens. But I’ll carry on because I’m a football man and I want to help. I can attest it’s not been easy with Clubs having private meetings and getting differing groups together to suit themselves and bugger the rest.

In closing the latest happenings is not the result of any voting members of the Clubs agreeing to suspend the Notth and South to protect their own Clubs or self serving. No it’s what the Clubs have asked for in those two divisions. And surprise surprise it’s the Clubs at the top of of divisions who don’t want it suspended.

Who me cynical ......not a chance!!

I read that and realised it was the ramblings of Colin Peake. Anyone who has been around non-league football for the past 20-odd years will know to take anything he says with a big pinch of salt.

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

We're the only club exempt from any funding owing to our location.

The National League don't half have it in for us. Probably run by Barrow, Chester and Chesterfield fans.

I would say that it’s good news for you not having to rely on potentially crippling loans, you can just role along until your takeover happens.

 

[TheShayWay]

I do hope when the voting takes place that the league votes are separated. I.e National league from the north and south. I can actually see most of the National League clubs voting to carry on. Whilst at the Regional level I suspect the voting would go in the other direction.

The infection rates are coming down the Vaccination is going up perhaps just perhaps we can finish this season in the stands

 

[Darlofan97]

Good to see an Notts County (7th) fan agree with a Torquay (1st) fan regarding a statement from Altrincham (4th).

With a like from a Sutton United (2nd) fan to top it all off!

See how this supposed self-serving from clubs lower down works?

It's self serving to want to cancel the league when you're bottom too.
The clubs committed to starting the season, integrity to the league and the pyramid system means it has to be finished.
The flipside of not finishing is that the Football League would have every right to renege on admittance to it as we would have proven ourselves to be unreliable and tin pot, their members would insist that relegating them would be a death blow to their club. Once that link is broken there's no guarantee it ever comes back.
Altrincham get it.

You do realise that is exactly what I was pointing out? That those being accused of being self-serving lower down are by those self-serving higher up.

I mean, literally, if your only rationale for completing the season is because “clubs committed to starting the season”, when you know fine well that clubs were sold down the garden path by the National League, and would never have started if they knew funding was going to be provided in loans, then that’s not sound logic is it?

Altrincham might get it from a FL promotion point of view, obviously, you’re 4th. However, seemingly they don’t from a financial point of view, and the implication that it will have on clubs lower down. I’ve already touched on the implications which lending such a vast sum of money will have on clubs in the way of balance sheets, jobs, cash-flow, future lending & Directors’ liability etc, however nobody wants to engage on this subject.

 

[Darlofan97]

Good to see an Notts County (7th) fan agree with a Torquay (1st) fan regarding a statement from Altrincham (4th).

With a like from a Sutton United (2nd) fan to top it all off!

See how this supposed self-serving from clubs lower down works?

It's self serving to want to cancel the league when you're bottom too.
The clubs committed to starting the season, integrity to the league and the pyramid system means it has to be finished.
The flipside of not finishing is that the Football League would have every right to renege on admittance to it as we would have proven ourselves to be unreliable and tin pot, their members would insist that relegating them would be a death blow to their club. Once that link is broken there's no guarantee it ever comes back.
Altrincham get it.

*Double-post*

 

[EnglishRed]

I would say that it’s good news for you not having to rely on potentially crippling loans, you can just role along until your takeover happens.

Its just fortunate we are being bought out. If it wasn't happening then we'd be in serious trouble.

 

[doveranddover]

We're the only club exempt from any funding owing to our location.

The National League don't half have it in for us. Probably run by Barrow, Chester and Chesterfield fans.

Blame Parmenter - he hates Wales I've heard