League returns ahead of voting
Clubs in 28-day period of choosing how season finishes
Bath City chairman Nick Blofeld has confirmed their preference is to stop playing rather than complete the 2020/21 season amidst financial uncertainty.
On Monday the 66 National League clubs received a series of resolutions for which they have 28 days to return voting submissions.
National League North and South’s initial two-week suspension was put in place on Friday 22 January following fears that the £11m Winter Survival Fund were being made up of loans and not grants.
Since then, the National League have set up a petition for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which had nearly 6,500 signatures by midday Wednesday.
As things stand, Saturday’s home match with Ebbsfleet United at Twerton Park will go ahead.
Bath City released a statement on Wednesday afternoon which included the following: “As a Board and the Society Committee we are unanimous in agreeing to stop playing as we are not in a financially strong enough position to continue without further funding and we do not want to take on any new loans.
“This would simply increase our debt, something we have been determined to reduce and ultimately remove as soon as we can, and grants no longer appear to be an option.
“We budgeted sensibly for the season as guided by the league and using the many years of cumulative experience at the club and we accepted the grants with the expectation they would be extended after three months, rather than changing to loans.
“The loans would be a great deal in any other situation, but it is the principal sum repayments coming out of our income from the first few hundred fans at every game for years to come which is the issue, effectively deflating our revenue for the long-term.
“We should not expect full crowds for the end of this season, were we to carry on, and maybe not even for the start of next season, that’s a long time to commit to a loan model, especially when the Sport England loans currently only last to the end of March.”
The resolutions sent to clubs are as follows:
■ Resolution 1 (All Clubs) -
That Resolution 2 about whether to end the 2020/21 Playing Season of The National League (Step 1) be taken only by clubs in the National League and that Resolution 3 about whether to end the 2020/21 Playing Season of the National League North and the National League South (Step 2) be taken only by clubs that play in the National League North or the National League South with votes cast for Resolution 3 being counted on a one member, one vote basis for National League North and National League South Clubs.
■ Resolution 2 (National league only) -
That, conditional upon Resolution 1 being passed, the 2020/21 Playing Season of the National League (Step 1) shall immediately end on the date this Resolution 2 is passed and be declared null and void and subject to the approval of The Football Association, those Regulations that provide for promotion and relegation to and from Step 1 be suspended for the 2020/21 Playing Season.
■ Resolution 3 (National league North AND south only) -
That, conditional upon Resolution 1 being passed, the 2020/21 Playing Season of the National League North and the National League South (Step 2) shall immediately end on the date this Resolution 3 is passed and be declared null and void and subject to the approval of The Football Association those Regulations that provide for promotion and relegation to and from Step 2 be suspended for the 2020/21 Playing Season.
■ Resolution 4 (All Clubs) -
That conditional upon Resolution 1 not being passed, the 2020/21 Playing Seasons of The National League (Step 1) and The National League North and The National League South (Step 2) shall immediately end on the date this Resolution 4 is passed and be declared null and void and subject to the approval of The Football Association, those Regulations that provide for promotion to and relegation from Step 1 and Step 2 be suspended for the 2020/21 Playing Season.
If Step 1 (National League) clubs vote to end the season, it would mean no promotions or relegations from the division, therefore Step 2 would be certain to also be declared null and void.
Bath City’s opponents this weekend were relegated from National League Premier last season when the final league positions were declared on a points per game basis.
Despite a late revival, they missed out on safety by a meagre 0.002 of a point to end their three season stay at the top level of the non-league pyramid.
Like Bath, they’ve beaten Dorking Wanderers in a friendly during the enforced break, beating Marc White’s men 2-1 at the Kuflink Stadium.
Jerry Gill will be without the suspended Donovan Wilson and Tom Mehew should the match go ahead, and will be sweating on the fitness of Freddie Grant, who injured his knee at training last week.
Ebbsfleet did the double over Bath in 2016/17, winning both matches 1-0 en route to securing promotion via the play-offs.
They currently sit eighth in National League South, outside the play-offs on goal difference.