Rules for Curtailment of the Season

[Suffolk Blue]

Dont particularly want to dwell on this but it has been mentioned or hinted at in a couple of the threads. I just thought it might be useful to remind ourselves about what the EFL "guidelines" currently are on this subject given that January is bound to see more matches being cancelled due to COVID. If anyone knows any different to the following please feel free to update as the picture as usual with the EFL is far from crystal clear.

As far as I can tell the most recent discussion on the subject by the EFL took place in mid September following which the position seems to be as follows:

1 It was confirmed that curtailment of the season should be considered as an ongoing possibility and that provisions should therefore be made for such an eventuality and enshrined in EFL regulations.
2. It was agreed that should there be a requirement to curtail the season that the principles of promotion and relegation would as far as possible be preserved via application of an unweighted PPG average (as per
2019/20)
3. It appears to have been accepted that curtailment on an unweighted PPG basis should be subject a the proviso that a "valid" proportion of games had already been completed.
4. If it was agreed that should the number of games completed not be considered "valid" then the season would be voided without promotion or relegation
5. It was stressed that any curtailment of the EFL season would only be considered as a "last resort" and that the EFL would endeavor to complete games behind closed doors whilst it was possible to do so.

What this suggests is that those who think the EFL might be tempted to pull the plug on the season as COVID flourishes through January may be mistaken. As I read it the EFL are determined to finish this season if at all possible. However should we suffer a total national lockdown and it becomes mandatory to cease playing the EFL has not defined what it would consider to represent a valid number of games played which begs the question what is that number or proportion

Bearing in mind that some clubs will not reach the 50% played mark for at least another 2-3 weeks it feels like the season will not have progressed to a point where say 2/3rd of games will have been completed until the end of February earliest. That would be my stick in the sand at what might be classed as a minimum valid percentage. Also were this to become a likely proposition I think you'd also see a split of opinions developing between the Championship and L1/L2 as per last season.

If we do see a serious threat to the season appearing then my guess would be this will peak sometime in January or early February and I cant really see the EFL being comfortable with retaining promotion and relegation based on completion of less than 65% of games (bearing in mind last season was curtailed, and not without controversy at just short of 80%).

Clearly we need to keep our PPG position in our minds as well as our overall points scored. But I'm not sure that it is as much of a threat (at the moment) as some might think.

[LCBAFC40]

Good points made here - im sure i saw on sky sports that only the premier league would struggle if games were being postponed to rearrange them but the EFL thinks it can still get the games played. Obviously we would need to make sure if we can that we have good points in the league standings (mainly just keep away from bottom 2 if same games have been played) in case PPG was introduced.

[HenneysKnee]

Wait till the EFL mandatory testing starts next week, be loads more cases being picked up

[Suffolk Blue]

Wait till the EFL mandatory testing starts next week, be loads more cases being picked up

Yes its going to get worse before it gets better. A firebreak and/or season extension is looking more and more likely.

One further point I should've mentioned with regard to relegation from L2 is that the National League started much later than the EFL and that some teams thanks to COVID have played as few as 10/11 league games - thats less than 25% of their fixtures. You'd have to think that their chances of completion at this point look pretty dubious.

[Alley_Cat]

Dont particularly want to dwell on this but it has been mentioned or hinted at in a couple of the threads. I just thought it might be useful to remind ourselves about what the EFL "guidelines" currently are on this subject given that January is bound to see more matches being cancelled due to COVID. If anyone knows any different to the following please feel free to update as the picture as usual with the EFL is far from crystal clear.

As far as I can tell the most recent discussion on the subject by the EFL took place in mid September following which the position seems to be as follows:

1 It was confirmed that curtailment of the season should be considered as an ongoing possibility and that provisions should therefore be made for such an eventuality and enshrined in EFL regulations.
2. It was agreed that should there be a requirement to curtail the season that the principles of promotion and relegation would as far as possible be preserved via application of an unweighted PPG average (as per
2019/20)
3. It appears to have been accepted that curtailment on an unweighted PPG basis should be subject a the proviso that a "valid" proportion of games had already been completed.
4. If it was agreed that should the number of games completed not be considered "valid" then the season would be voided without promotion or relegation
5. It was stressed that any curtailment of the EFL season would only be considered as a "last resort" and that the EFL would endeavor to complete games behind closed doors whilst it was possible to do so.

What this suggests is that those who think the EFL might be tempted to pull the plug on the season as COVID flourishes through January may be mistaken. As I read it the EFL are determined to finish this season if at all possible. However should we suffer a total national lockdown and it becomes mandatory to cease playing the EFL has not defined what it would consider to represent a valid number of games played which begs the question what is that number or proportion

Bearing in mind that some clubs will not reach the 50% played mark for at least another 2-3 weeks it feels like the season will not have progressed to a point where say 2/3rd of games will have been completed until the end of February earliest. That would be my stick in the sand at what might be classed as a minimum valid percentage. Also were this to become a likely proposition I think you'd also see a split of opinions developing between the Championship and L1/L2 as per last season.

If we do see a serious threat to the season appearing then my guess would be this will peak sometime in January or early February and I cant really see the EFL being comfortable with retaining promotion and relegation based on completion of less than 65% of games (bearing in mind last season was curtailed, and not without controversy at just short of 80%).

Clearly we need to keep our PPG position in our minds as well as our overall points scored. But I'm not sure that it is as much of a threat (at the moment) as some might think.

Very sensible and logical points.

I fear that there will be so much disruption from Covid that the season can not be completed and without anywhere near the necessary % of games achieved.

The obvious conclusion will be to just cancel the whole season - no promotion or relegation.

Sad but it will give us a another guaranteed season in the league

[sambino]

What would happen with finances if the season is halted is more grants expected ? Guess players may be furloughed again

[signalman 65]

I personally feel that should EFL have to curtail the season then the National league would be unable to present the two promotion teams due to the fact there would be too few games completed to determine a ppg solution. My club, Stockport County, have only played 14 games and have 3 games in hand on some teams in the division and could fall further behind due to our involvement in FA Cup and Trophy games. Let's not fool ourselves there will be a lockdown and it could last a few months.

[Suffolk Blue]

I personally feel that should EFL have to curtail the season then the National league would be unable to present the two promotion teams due to the fact there would be too few games completed to determine a ppg solution. My club, Stockport County, have only played 14 games and have 3 games in hand on some teams in the division and could fall further behind due to our involvement in FA Cup and Trophy games. Let's not fool ourselves there will be a lockdown and it could last a few months.

Having gone through this experience last season we can certainly empathise with any aspiring NL club were they to find themselves in the same position. Despite endless meetings and EFL guideline updates the situation now is not much clearer than it was then. So despite the fact that PPG has been clearly adopted as the preferred and primary solution, as per usual the EFL has given itself a complete get out of jail card by creating a "must have played an acceptable number of games" clause in their rules and then left it to their own discretion as to what that number is.

What is clear is that until and unless prevented from doing so by HMG the EFL will try to continue playing out the season cum hell or high water. This, as per last season, is mainly to preserve the golden ticket of promotion from the Championship and has little to do with L1/L2 let alone the NL. However their persistence in this is actually creating some potentially severe problems. Dover in the NL have only played 10 league games out of 44. In League 1 Accrington have played 16 out of 46. Increasingly games are dropping due to Covid but there's no equitable pattern to this. So by the end of January if things continue "as is" then we may see 5/6 game discrepancies between teams in the same league. Even if you could determine the number of games that would constitute an acceptable percentage for a PPG outcome it would be very difficult to gain acceptance for this with such significant discrepancies in games played. For example if Accrington won their games in hand they'd be top not eighth (outside the play-offs).

Also it needs to be remembered that whilst each division may have an independent right to determine whether they curtail the season or not, the EFL promotion/relegation issue has to be settled consistently across all Leagues under the amended rules. Unless they decided to change them again of course.

Lastly you dont know what "lockdown" should it come again might mean or for how long. Last time everything shut down despite the fact that there was never a shred of evidence to support the contention that playing a game of football behind closed doors posed any additional calculable threat to public health. So if we go to lockdown again will "elite" football be allowed to continue (thus creating a further financial crisis of course)? Also if we were to lock down we might well find given we now have vaccines rolling out that rules would be lifted by say end of February. You'd look a little stupid if you had curtailed a season in January only to find rules being relaxed in March.

Personally I dont think that it would be reasonable to consider a curtailment and a result based on PPG at the very very least until every team in that league has played an absolute minimum of 50% of their games (I actually think 2/3 at a push might be an acceptable minimum). Therefore if we are talking about games ceasing within the remainder of this month the only League where even 50% could be possible would be L2 (thanks to a rather liberal interpretation of the current COVID regulations to date it might be said).

As for the the NL, it is unfortunate that at times like these that you really learn where the power lies. By starting the season so late they are doubly at risk from any kind of intervention. I seriously doubt that the NL could complete their fixtures even under the current circumstances. In terms of what might happen, despite loud noises coming from certain NL chairmen, as we know, the NL will be totally dictated to by the EFL. They do have a recourse to the FA of course but whilst this sounds like a trump card in reality it is anything but. The FA run from anything that is not fundamental and avoid contentious or decisions that might see them in a courtroom like the plague. They themselves made an absolute dogs breakfast of last seasons NL ups and downs.

[PerthBluebird]

I personally feel that should EFL have to curtail the season then the National league would be unable to present the two promotion teams due to the fact there would be too few games completed to determine a ppg solution. My club, Stockport County, have only played 14 games and have 3 games in hand on some teams in the division and could fall further behind due to our involvement in FA Cup and Trophy games. Let's not fool ourselves there will be a lockdown and it could last a few months.

Having gone through this experience last season we can certainly empathise with any aspiring NL club were they to find themselves in the same position. Despite endless meetings and EFL guideline updates the situation now is not much clearer than it was then. So despite the fact that PPG has been clearly adopted as the preferred and primary solution, as per usual the EFL has given itself a complete get out of jail card by creating a "must have played an acceptable number of games" clause in their rules and then left it to their own discretion as to what that number is.

What is clear is that until and unless prevented from doing so by HMG the EFL will try to continue playing out the season cum hell or high water. This, as per last season, is mainly to preserve the golden ticket of promotion from the Championship and has little to do with L1/L2 let alone the NL. However their persistence in this is actually creating some potentially severe problems. Dover in the NL have only played 10 league games out of 44. In League 1 Accrington have played 16 out of 46. Increasingly games are dropping due to Covid but there's no equitable pattern to this. So by the end of January if things continue "as is" then we may see 5/6 game discrepancies between teams in the same league. Even if you could determine the number of games that would constitute an acceptable percentage for a PPG outcome it would be very difficult to gain acceptance for this with such significant discrepancies in games played. For example if Accrington won their games in hand they'd be top not eighth (outside the play-offs).

Also it needs to be remembered that whilst each division may have an independent right to determine whether they curtail the season or not, the EFL promotion/relegation issue has to be settled consistently across all Leagues under the amended rules. Unless they decided to change them again of course.

Lastly you dont know what "lockdown" should it come again might mean or for how long. Last time everything shut down despite the fact that there was never a shred of evidence to support the contention that playing a game of football behind closed doors posed any additional calculable threat to public health. So if we go to lockdown again will "elite" football be allowed to continue (thus creating a further financial crisis of course)? Also if we were to lock down we might well find given we now have vaccines rolling out that rules would be lifted by say end of February. You'd look a little stupid if you had curtailed a season in January only to find rules being relaxed in March.

Personally I dont think that it would be reasonable to consider a curtailment and a result based on PPG at the very very least until every team in that league has played an absolute minimum of 50% of their games (I actually think 2/3 at a push might be an acceptable minimum). Therefore if we are talking about games ceasing within the remainder of this month the only League where even 50% could be possible would be L2 (thanks to a rather liberal interpretation of the current COVID regulations to date it might be said).

As for the the NL, it is unfortunate that at times like these that you really learn where the power lies. By starting the season so late they are doubly at risk from any kind of intervention. I seriously doubt that the NL could complete their fixtures even under the current circumstances. In terms of what might happen, despite loud noises coming from certain NL chairmen, as we know, the NL will be totally dictated to by the EFL. They do have a recourse to the FA of course but whilst this sounds like a trump card in reality it is anything but. The FA run from anything that is not fundamental and avoid contentious or decisions that might see them in a courtroom like the plague. They themselves made an absolute dogs breakfast of last seasons NL ups and downs.

Zzzzzzzzzz

[blue nige]

boris is making an announcement tonight, wonder if this will impact on sports,?

[MisterPleasant]

Scotland has this afternoon introduced tighter restrictions - we can't leave our homes - but there was no mention of curtailing professional football.

[Suffolk Blue]

Scotland has this afternoon introduced tighter restrictions - we can't leave our homes - but there was no mention of curtailing professional football.

Professional sport in Scotland will be unaffected by the new lockdown says Nicola Sturgeon. So I would expect any similar announcement by Boris to say the same thing. My guess is that "elite" clubs will be allowed to continue as is even if we are confined to quarters.

[bluessupporter]

Scotland has this afternoon introduced tighter restrictions - we can't leave our homes - but there was no mention of curtailing professional football.

Interesting!

If there's a curfew, nobody can go out to play football. Or if playing football is regarded as taking exercise the games can go ahead.

Confused? You will be!

[MisterPleasant]

Scotland has this afternoon introduced tighter restrictions - we can't leave our homes - but there was no mention of curtailing professional football.

Interesting!

If there's a curfew, nobody can go out to play football. Or if playing football is regarded as taking exercise the games can go ahead.

Confused? You will be!

No, definitely not. Only 2 people can meet outside, you and 1 person from another household so my seniors football with the rest of the crocks is definitely off (and has been since March).

And I remember 'Soap' from which your last quote comes.

[April1972]

Elite sport to continue through new Lockdown - so the league should continue thankfully.