Rules for Curtailment of the Season

[Suffolk Blue]

https://twitter.com/Ollie_Bayliss/statu ... 13829?s=19

National League clubs will be asked to respond to a formal "resolution to consider the outcome of the season".

Sounds like a fine NL type of resolution. Invites any club to offer any views without commitment to any of them. Big gulf in opinion between the NL and the feeder leagues the former wanting to find ways of pressing on the latter more happy to call it a day. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not changed its basic position re loans rather than grants, although the FA a little curiously yesterday announced a further £10million of grants available to Step3-7 clubs.

If one of the clubs suddenly goes "tits" this might prompt a rethink. However short of that the NL clubs will either have to carry on regardless, take a loan or stop. The idea of the NL itself taking a (10 year) loan has some appeal to NL clubs but not to the feeder leagues and as this option would almost certainly require a majority of all 66 NL clubs to vote for it I doubt it'll happen.

For those determined to press on eager to preserve promotion to the EFL, then on top of all of this the NL has to contend with the principle of "viability". The problem with following this path is as previously suggested that the NL cannot define "viability" for itself, it has to follow the EFL otherwise the EFL is not duty bound to accept a club promoted by any form of curtailment. Viability also has several dimensions i.e.

Firstly it requires completion of a certain number of games before a curtailed season can be determined by PPG. This number or % is as yet unconfirmed and may not need to be if the EFL can finish their own League calendar and that is looking more likely.

Secondly, it is unclear the extent to which this completion "ratio" must be subject to the rule of equity (i.e do all teams in that division have to have played a certain number or percentage of games?).

Thirdly, and I'm a little surprised that no one in the NL seems to have spotted this as yet, there is the issue of what happens if the NL goes on but the NLN and NLS choose not to thus null and voiding their season. This is looking like a real possibility. If this were to happen as I see it, it would be contrary to the key principle of promotion and relegation. Not only does this contradict the "amended" EFL regulations, but it is virtually the only principle shared by the Premiership. EFL and NL. Also by the FA. Last season the EFL gave its clubs the option of whether to stop the season or not. The Championship didn't, L1/2 did. However it did not give each league the option to promote or not. No voiding was allowed. So I dont think that the NL could expect to have teams accepted from the National League if it had approved the voiding of two of its divisions.

This is possibly even a bigger mess than in the summer. I dont think that the NL can stop and they must survive or fall as a group. On the other hand even if they do continue, I don't think they'll be able to pre-determine a point where they could curtail on a PPG basis unless the EFL approved it.

[HenneysKnee]

Basically the top 7 or so will want to carry on; no-one else will

[sambino]

http://www.blythspartans.com/joint-stat ... ASllz1SWPQ

Statement from a group of clubs

Firstly, we wish to acknowledge the decisiveness in which the National League dealt with our concerns by supporting our request for the immediate suspension of our competitions on January 22.

We have this evening received a letter from Nigel Huddleston MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Sport, Tourism and Heritage) inviting us to a webinar tomorrow, which will allow Sport England to set out the criteria for loans and grants (the latter of which is available only for those with no ability to repay loans).

Loans are merely an extension to our life support and therefore foolhardy.

We have yet to receive any assurances as to how we may mitigate against our inability to test our employees and volunteers for COVID, or against the government’s insistence that we trade whilst insolvent.

With no apparent end in sight, this excruciating pandemic has us all facing financial imbalances of varying degrees.

All of this is adding to additional stress and uncertainty that could and should have been avoidable.

Having since been ordered to re-schedule our postponed games in accordance with the National League rules, we must now reiterate our stance.

Without adequate and fair funding towards COVID testing and to offset against the loss of income, we are unable to uphold the integrity of the football pyramid and insist that the season is curtailed no later than Friday, February 5, to allow all clubs to be assessed for grants.

AFC Telford – Andy Pryce

Alfreton Town – Wayne Bradley

Bradford (Park Avenue) – Martin Knight

Blyth Spartans – Anthony Platten

Concord Rangers – Antony Smith

Curzon Ashton – Wayne Salkeld

Chippenham Town – Neil Blackmore

Darlington – David Johnston

Dulwich Hamlet – Ben Clasper

Farsley Celtic – Joshua Greaves

Gateshead – Neil Pinkerton

Guiseley – Gary Douglas

Hereford – Rob Crawford

Kettering Town – David Mahoney

Slough Town – Kay Lathey

Southport – Ian Kyle

Spennymoor Town – Tony Wilson

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

Step 1 clubs will vote separately to Step 2 on the status of the season.
There’s a possibility of different outcomes for the National League & National North/South.

[Suffolk Blue]

Yes. That is the way it appears to be going. Difficult to tell but the statement reads like a "give us your money or else...." attempt. These clubs clearly see no downside to voiding their season.

As noted above, whilst the National division clubs aint saying anything some of them must have twigged by now that simply saying we'll carry on is not the end of the matter. It would mean that they would expect promotion to the EFL without having relegation from the National division. It should also be remembered that when the NL seriously toyed with voiding the season last year it was their own governing body the FA that charged in (as they did with the Premiership and EFL) to restate that voiding was incompatible with promotion and relegation. There will be several clubs at the bottom of L2 already preparing their arguments.

It should of course not matter. We should be able to play out our season and our fate should be determined by that alone. However that's not always the way "elite" football works. Sadly the NL does not look like an "elite" League right now. There is a massive chasm between divisions (though it has to be said one that is largely sustained on debt).

As someone who has used the pyramid system to fuel his own aspirations over the years my worry is that we are now quite close to the collapse of the NL as a cohesive body. Refusal to ratify promotion from it for this season might be the last straw. I hope the NLN/NLS clubs manage to screw some free funding from somebody. Otherwise the immediate future for non-league football looks very bleak.

[Suffolk Blue]

NL clubs to vote on Monday on continuance of the season. Quote from BBC.

"Clubs have been told to expect a resolution, although they have not been told the specifics of what they will be voting on, or how long they will have to respond".

That's all clear then

[holkerboy]

NL clubs to vote on Monday on continuance of the season. Quote from BBC.

"Clubs have been told to expect a resolution, although they have not been told the specifics of what they will be voting on, or how long they will have to respond".

That's all clear then

Same as last year. Thought they were changing the rules to make them clearer!

[HenneysKnee]

Sounds like all 3 divisions could have their season terminated this week

[blue nige]

Sounds like all 3 divisions could have their season terminated this week

Maybe conference north / south but National league will carry on !

[Jonty]

Sounds like all 3 divisions could have their season terminated this week

Maybe conference north / south but National league will carry on !

Im not sure how it can remain a competitive league unless the North / South continue. It’s needed for the integrity of the competition.

[Suffolk Blue]

It would appear that the formal resolution that was due to be forthcoming from the NL today has been delayed. I think most NL clubs have by now got used to the process whereby the NL makes a statement of intent calling for a definitive decision to be made before inviting opinions and then realising its members are hopelessly split.

I dont believe that the DMCS has as yet changed its position on additional funding (i.e. based on loans rather than grants). Earlier today a petition surfaced calling on the DCMS to change its position on this and as you might expect, it is attracting plenty of signatures from supporters of affected clubs. Its not clear whether this is being fronted by the NL itself or is simply a response from some of its members.

Several forums are reporting that the option for the NL to take a loan and then allocate portions to its members has been dropped by the NL board due to lack of a majority support. If true. that would leave individual loans or voiding as the remaining (current) options. There are lots of runours as you would expect. These include one that the NLS members are more inclined to carry on but that the NLN definitely isn't. Also one that some Step 2 NL clubs may have commenced proceedings against the NL because of the way the previous bailout payments were allocated. Some clubs are continuing on in the NL as if there was no issue at all. But there also rumours that clubs such as Kings Lynn and Boreham Wood are ready to pull their own plug without further additional free funding irrespective of what others wish to do.

If you can pick a resolution out of all that your a better man/woman than me. They dont have very long to achieve any degree of unity though the NL continues to refer to its 66 members in every breath as if they each have an equal worth. If the NLN/NLS are not back playing by the end of next week I think their season is cooked.

[Suffolk Blue]

NL has emerged with its resolution options . There are 4:

1. Gives clubs the chance to decide the fate of their own Step

2. & 3 Clubs vote to own their own Step (applies only if Res 1 is passed)

4. Clubs vote to end all Steps (applies only if Res. 1 fails)

Res 1 Requires 75% majority
Res 2/3/4 50% majority

For Legal reasons clubs have 28 days to respond.

[Suffolk Blue]

Martin Zeigler , Football correspondent of The Times has run an on-line piece this evening which begins as follows :

All three divisions of the National League are likely to vote to terminate the season as early as this week rather than take on loans from the government’s rescue package, according to club representatives.

The National League will send out resolutions this week to all the 66 clubs asking them to vote on whether to continue the season or end it without any promotion or relegation.

[Hadrian]

He's been following what you have written!

[Suffolk Blue]

Not going to dwell on this topic apart from to point out that anyone interested in developments in so far as they might (indirectly) affect us can simply check out Ollie Bayliss on twitter as he is keeping a pretty decent count of the NL votes as they are declared. Despite the initial confusion around trying to understand these resolutions if you pick your way through them it becomes apparent that they are pretty much designed to facilitate a certain outcome - this being that the NL continue and the NLN/NLS dont. Not surprisingly this would look to be the likely outcome.

NLN/NLS clubs have been instructed to restart their season pending the outcome of the vote. However it is clear that one or two may not, potentially leaving them open to sanction. Several of the NL clubs have suggested they may wait until they know whether their petition for grants not loans succeeds before declaring a position and this might delay the outcome but probably wont change it.

Thus far the EFL would appear to have been pretty quiet on the issue in so far as it may affect the promotion/relegation process. My guess is that it is waiting for the NL outcome before considering its collective position on the subject. Clearly even if the NL season continues there remain quite a few issues specifically in relation to PPG should the season subsequently have to be curtailed.