The National League has advised clubs in its three divisions to vote in favour of ending the regular season without playing games that were scheduled up until 25 April and, if an agreement is reached, member clubs will be expected to decide each team’s final position through further polls, provoking bewilderment among some club officials. The league contacted its clubs after a board meeting on Thursday.
A decision is expected to be made next week, with each club able to vote for or against the proposal to cancel the remaining fixtures this season. Play-offs remain a possibility. Despite several meetings in recent weeks, the board has been unable to find a resolution to the season. National League clubs have around eight matches of the regular season left but Barnet, for example, have 11 games remaining. Clubs in the National League North and National League South have between seven and 12 matches remaining.
It is unclear whether teams would vote on current ranking or points per game, with clubs baffled by the decision to be asked to vote without knowing the implications. One club official accused the league of panicking and being “amateurish” in its approach. The league is understood to be keen to find a swift solution with many non-league players out of contract at the end of the month.
Clubs previously returned a questionnaire detailing the level of financial help required following the coronavirus outbreak and the responses suggested the 68 clubs are facing a shortfall of around £17m. The letter on Thursday read: “The board has approved an ordinary resolution for clubs, that the playing season shall immediately end for all fixtures scheduled up to and including 25 April 2020.
“The board recommends clubs vote for this resolution. If the ordinary resolution is passed and the remaining ‘normal season’ league matches of the season are cancelled, the league will then immediately proceed with a poll of North and South clubs to determine the outcomes of the season across those divisions. This will be followed by a vote to determine the outcomes of the season in the National Division. The appropriate options to determine the outcomes of the season are being diligently prepared, and will be approved by the board before they are sent to clubs in due course.”
The Football Association has confirmed that the league season in several tiers of the men’s and women’s game is to be declared null and void, despite the pleas of more than 60 clubs.
Competition in men’s non-league football from tiers three to seven, women’s football from tiers three to seven and all grassroots football have been struck from the record books. The decision was confirmed on Thursday by the FA council, with the continuation of play deemed impossible because of the coronavirus crisis.
“The request to end the 2019-20 season was taken to the FA council by the representatives of the relevant committees having been fully supported by the FA board,” an FA spokesman said. “The FA council’s vote today was overwhelmingly in favour of ratifying the decision.”
Following the FA board’s verdict on 26 March, 64 non-league clubs wrote to the FA condemning the “needless and inexplicable haste” to stop the various competitions when other leagues – including the men’s National League – had merely been suspended.
The FA always insisted the decision had been taken with full support of the leagues involved. In a lengthy statement setting out the reasons for annulment the FA’s head of national league system, Laurence Jones, cited “significant operational challenges” as being behind the decision.
“In some leagues, clubs have as many as 16 matches left to play,” he said. “On the basis that a club was able to play up to two matches per week, this would require at least eight weeks to play out those fixtures.
“This is before consideration is given to time needed for players to become match fit and for play-off matches to take place prior to the beginning of the 2020-21 season. Notwithstanding the fact that it may not be possible at this level, practically or logistically, for clubs to play up to two matches per week.”