Clubs ‘could fold’ if fans aren’t allowed back soon

THE government is being urged to allow fans to attend non-League matches when the new season begins amid fears clubs will fold due to the financial losses of playing in empty stadiums.

Leagues at steps five and six of the FA pyramid are due to begin their campaigns from September 5.

But, in line with current guidelines and like the professional game, they are to begin with no crowds in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 30 MPs have signed a letter to sports minister Nigel Huddleston calling for a rethink in an attempt to pump much-needed funds back into lower-level football.

Dame Cheryl Gillan and former sports minister Tracey Couch authored the letter which highlighted the difference between opening gates for fans of non-League clubs as opposed to those in the Premier League and English Football League.

“We are writing to request the government allow for the urgent return of fans to non-League football clubs, which are at the heart of our constituencies and for whose future we fear,” it read.

“Our non-League football structure across England is football at its purest, often at the heart of our community, rich in diversity and a starting point for many a talented footballer but unlike League football cannot rely on broadcast or sponsorship income streams.”

The letter goes on to say crowds are ‘in the hundreds rather than thousands’ and ‘many club gates are in double figures’ - suggesting that makes treating non-League clubs the same as their League counterparts ‘incomparable and ultimately unfair’.

It also points out that indoor activities have recently been allowed to resume as long as Covid-19 safety measures are put in place and adhered to, so allowing ‘small but loyal’ fan numbers back into non-League stadia is a must - with a request to look at the situation at non-League and League levels as two separate issues.