So, what now I wonder?

[andy]

Watching the latest government announcement I thought I may as well open the topic.

[AwayDayYeltz]

Void the season now. And start again in December.

[juanillo]

Ollie Bayliss on Twitter has said that elite football can continue (so that goes down to National League North and South), but not exactly clear yet where the non-elite cut off will be yet.

The FA Cup would be a quandary with some clubs at Step 3 and below still in it and due to play on Saturday. Would they have to scratch?

[Simons]

FA Trophy as well. Next round is 14 November, but National league North/South don't enter until the following round

[JohnC]

Regarding the league it has aleays been said step 3 and below could not operate without gate income.

I think the season will be forzen, suspended, break and if safe restart on Saturday 5th December if the levels of covid are falling. There are plenty of Tuesday's to catch up on the five missed games.

The FA Trophy I think can also be suspended and caught up later as only includes National League Teams. They havn't played the 2019-2020 Final Yet.

The FA Cup. The fact earlier rounds games had to be settled on the day, no replays and 4 day window has been all about the date not being moved when the Prem League enter the competition.

Rule 35 Covid related added this season.

Specific powers of the Professional Game Board and The Association’s Board in relation to COVID-19

(g) The Association’s Board may determine that any match in the Competition must be
played behind closed doors.

(h) If The Association’s Board determines that it will not be possible to start the Qualifying
Competition as scheduled, The Association’s Board may amend the format of the
Competition, including but not limited to declaring that a round (or multiple rounds) of the
Qualifying Competition shall not be played and that the Competition shall commence from
a later round. If The Association’s Board declares that the Competition shall commence
from a later round, it shall determine (in its sole discretion) which Clubs shall be selected
to participate in that round.

(i) If the Qualifying Competition has started but The Association’s Board determines that it
will not be possible for all rounds of the Qualifying Competition to be played (including
a round which has started but not completed), The Association’s Board may amend the
format of the Competition, including but not limited to

(i) cancelling the Qualifying
Competition or (ii) declaring that a round (or multiple rounds) of the Qualifying
Competition is either null and void (including any matches in a round which have already
been played) or shall not be played and that the Competition shall re-commence from
a later round. If a match has been played but is later declared null and void, the Clubs
30
will receive and/or be entitled to retain the prize money in respect of that match. If The
Association’s Board declares that the Competition shall commence from a later round,
it shall determine (in its sole discretion) which Clubs shall be selected to participate in
that round.

(j) If The Association’s Board determines (in its sole discretion) that it will not be possible

(i) to start the Competition Proper or (ii) for all rounds of the Competition Proper to be
played, The Association’s Board will determine (at its sole discretion) the impact on the
structure and resumption of the Competition Proper.

[AwayDayYeltz]

Regarding the league it has aleays been said step 3 and below could not operate without gate income.

I think the season will be forzen, suspended, break and if safe restart on Saturday 5th December if the levels of covid are falling. There are plenty of Tuesday's to catch up on the five missed games.

The FA Trophy I think can also be suspended and caught up later as only includes National League Teams. They havn't played the 2019-2020 Final Yet.

The FA Cup. The fact earlier rounds games had to be settled on the day, no replays and 4 day window has been all about the date not being moved when the Prem League enter the competition.

Rule 35 Covid related added this season.

Specific powers of the Professional Game Board and The Association’s Board in relation to COVID-19

(g) The Association’s Board may determine that any match in the Competition must be
played behind closed doors.

(h) If The Association’s Board determines that it will not be possible to start the Qualifying
Competition as scheduled, The Association’s Board may amend the format of the
Competition, including but not limited to declaring that a round (or multiple rounds) of the
Qualifying Competition shall not be played and that the Competition shall commence from
a later round. If The Association’s Board declares that the Competition shall commence
from a later round, it shall determine (in its sole discretion) which Clubs shall be selected
to participate in that round.

(i) If the Qualifying Competition has started but The Association’s Board determines that it
will not be possible for all rounds of the Qualifying Competition to be played (including
a round which has started but not completed), The Association’s Board may amend the
format of the Competition, including but not limited to

(i) cancelling the Qualifying
Competition or (ii) declaring that a round (or multiple rounds) of the Qualifying
Competition is either null and void (including any matches in a round which have already
been played) or shall not be played and that the Competition shall re-commence from
a later round. If a match has been played but is later declared null and void, the Clubs
30
will receive and/or be entitled to retain the prize money in respect of that match. If The
Association’s Board declares that the Competition shall commence from a later round,
it shall determine (in its sole discretion) which Clubs shall be selected to participate in
that round.

(j) If The Association’s Board determines (in its sole discretion) that it will not be possible

(i) to start the Competition Proper or (ii) for all rounds of the Competition Proper to be
played, The Association’s Board will determine (at its sole discretion) the impact on the
structure and resumption of the Competition Proper.

How many times have you read the FA Rule book? You obviously know it inside out!

Thanks for the information, in all seriousness.

[old git]

I read some weeks ago where the excellently run Northern Premier League sent out proposals to member clubs about any Covid disruption. I remember commenting that it wasn't surprising that the Southern League were sitting on their hands again, and as far as I am aware have not been similarly pro active. The trouble is I can't find it now ..... anybody out there seen it and can post on here ?

[Noggin]

I understand that the Southern League have sent a questionnaire out in the last week or so as to how member clubs believe the league should react to changed circumstances if they arise. So it has come to pass, even before the responses are in!

Why on earth they did not do this before the season commenced, lord knows. But that would be good governance so it had no earthly chance of happening.

[old git]

I understand that the Southern League have sent a questionnaire out in the last week or so as to how member clubs believe the league should react to changed circumstances if they arise. So it has come to pass, even before the responses are in!

Why on earth they did not do this before the season commenced, lord knows. But that would be good governance so it had no earthly chance of happening.

yep, not that one Noggin ... that was a very simple couple of questions if it is the one I saw earlier in the week.
The NPL document I'm thinking of was full of 'what if' scenarios, and from memory one of them was that if there were more than so many weeks lost all leagues would be split into two, play home and away, and then at the end the two mini leagues would be joined together and a PPG added for the games already completed so far to get a final table .... or something like that ...wish I could find it, or even remember where I saw it .. it's an age thing

[juanillo]

It's not clear that the new FA cup rule covers off the rounds after qualifying has ended.

Banbury, Canvey Island, Bishop's Stortford, Marine, Skelmersdale, Maldon & Tiptree, FC United, Cray Valley and South Shields all fall into the 'non-elite' bracket and the first two play each other.

So if it were a league game they probably wouldn't be able to play, but I guess they can say the FA Cup is an 'elite' competition otherwise there will be a lot of teams being unfairly scratched.