The Toolstation Western League sits across both Steps 5 and 6 of the pyramid. The FA have made it clear that Western League matches won't be starting until its safe to play National League matches, which means that Welton Rovers won't be playing until Bath City are back.
But for many Clubs, players and fans, the key question going into the meeting was what restrictions would grassroots football face in order to get back playing again? Speculation was rife about that the possibility of closed changing rooms and tea huts, with fans wearing facemasks and subject to temperature checks at the turnstiles. The FA are clearly hoping that the "new normal" won't be that much different to the "old normal", not least because they recognise that the burden for implementing any restrictions will fall hardest on those who are volunteering their time, potentially driving them out of the game.
When football does start all Clubs will need to publish a Covid-19 Risk Assessment, the details of which will hopefully become clearer over the coming weeks, when more guidance is released by the DCMS and the FA. However, this has done little to stem the speculation around what restrictions Club volunteers, players, spectators and match officials might be subject to, if we are all to enjoy a September kick off.
Pre-season, by definition, must occur before the League campaign can begin. If League fixtures are to start in September the pre-season will take place in August.
For many Clubs at the bottom of the pyramid, friendly home matches against higher level opposition can be a real money spinner. Given the financial drought Clubs have been subject to, the prospect of a lucrative friendly is understandably enticing.
It appears that the FA, they have pledged to provide Clubs with specific instructions relating to the start of both the League and pre-season campaigns. The irony is that given all its efforts to start safely, pre-season presents football with a health and safety tsunami. Last season Western League Hallen played Bristol City in front of 1,800 fans. A gate like that can make a Clubs season, so how do we reconcile Covid-19 Risk Assessments for non-leagues Clubs getting a professional league gate?
The FA’s presentation explored the possibility of both limiting ground capacities and using advanced ticket sales to manage attendance, but even these measures mean footballs ability to manage “the new normal” will be tested to destruction from the very start.
In terms of the FA’s scenario planning for running a full season, a great deal of work has gone into understanding weekend and weekday “slots” for fixtures to be planned, based on the number of teams in each Division. At Step 5 and 6 the FA presentation identified a maximum of 20 teams in each Division, yet the Toolstation Western League Premier Division includes 21 teams. From a fixtures perspective 21 teams might as well be 22, as the weekly allocation of games for an odd number of teams means one side is always left without a fixture.
Last season this anomaly hampered the Leagues ability to address fixture congestion in the wake of the severe weather disruption that occurred during the winter months. Given the prospect of a condensed 2020/21 campaign, the Western League is already at a disadvantage if the FA’s calculations have failed to recognise the number of fixtures the Premier Division will need to complete.
Whilst the FA recognised the threat to matches posed by local lockdowns and a second wave of the Coronavirus, there was no mention of the flexibility needed to cater for the Great British weather, particularly at the base of the pyramid where pitches and facilities are more susceptible to disruption. Whilst most of us want to know when next season can begin, perhaps the more pertinent question is when will it need to finish? The FA has given Leagues two clues about this. Firstly, we know that all Steps will start together, secondly we know the FA have indicated they are planning for a “traditional start” to the 2021/22 season.
Before the outbreak of Covid-19, the Western League had requested an extension to the 2019/20 season, only to be told by the FA they expected all games to completed by 25th April, a decision that appears to have been predicated on the ‘pure pyramid’ restructuring programme scheduled to be set out on May 12th. This sets a worrying precedent, as if the FA are planning on a traditional start to the 21/22 campaign, which will inevitably revisit the League changes planned for this start of this coming season, then with all Steps starting together, its hard to see any flexibility being given to a weather disrupted 20/21 campaign.
If Covid-19 has done anything for grassroots football, its to place into perspective the debates raging last season about lateral movement out of Leagues. Football with lateral movement is better than nothing and given that we’ve had nothing for the past three months, we all know what that feels like!
Regardless of the restructuring scheduled for 21/22, lateral movement might still have a part to play in this season. The FA’s position on this is:
“Lateral Movement will be considered within a Step – but only where such is appropriate – ie that Clubs are swapping Leagues, with the agreement of the two clubs and their Leagues, or that the FALC feel that lateral movement is imperative for this season to assist with the allocations, this will only be considered in a scenario of real need, as major lateral movements will take place at the end of this season in the planned but now delayed restructure.”
If the FA believe that all Step5/6 Leagues should have a maximum of 20 teams, does this suggest that lateral movement out of the Western League Premier Division would qualify as an “imperative for this season”? If this was to be the case, we can only hope the chosen Club would be consulted and in agreement.
To be fair on the Football Association they are clearly working very hard, with the Department for Culture Media and Sport, to get us playing again and for all fans that must be welcomed. When it comes to the challenges of managing this situation with a voluntary workforce, the FA certainly talk a good game, so it will be interesting to see how practical their advice actually is, when it is released over the coming weeks. However, we are dealing with the law of unintended consequence and with the best will in the world, Fridays meeting has possessed some fundamental questions about the practicality of bringing back grassroots football and what that might mean for the Toolstation Western League.
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