Carry on vote is a relief but integrity is crucial
NOTTS County manager Neal Ardley believes the National League’s integrity will be impacted if teams do not fulfil their fixtures amid concerns over finances.
The Magpies discovered their campaign will go ahead as planned this week after teams voted to continue, despite knowing there is no grant money available to help make up for lost gate revenue.
Dover Athletic have now announced they have put their entire first-team squad on furlough, which has led to the postponement of their clash against King’s Lynn this weekend.
The National League has since charged Dover with failing to fulfil a fixture, leaving the club “very disappointed” at the punishment given the “exceptional circumstances”.
King’s Lynn have also said they cannot be sure if they will complete the rest of their fixtures this season and it looks set to give the National League a considerable headache.
Although clubs have been told they will have to apply for loans to help finance the rest of the season, Sport England grants are available to those suffering from great hardship.
And Ardley says that is a sensible option to pursue before taking the option of withdrawing from fixtures.
“It (not playing fixtures) will impact the integrity of the league,” he said.
“As to what needs to be done, it’s really above my paygrade.
“By the rules, which are in place that every club sign up to, if the league is there to continue, then you are obliged to continue.
“That will be a conversation between each individual club. I don’t know if I understand the rules properly, but from what I’ve been led to believe that if you can prove that you can’t take on a loan, then there’s a potential of getting a grant to be able to continue.
“So if you cannot take on a loan and you can show why then, hopefully, those clubs concerned will be able to get grants that allow them not to get into debt.
“Rules are rules and we all know that. If the rules say the competition’s there to play, everybody has to play it, otherwise there’ll be sanctions against them then that’s what we should initially start with.
“I do feel for these clubs, because financially is a tough time for everyone, if clubs are genuinely struggling to take on a loan for certain reasons, then, if they can prove they can’t do that, then they should be able to get a grant.”
Notts were one of the clubs that voted for the season to continue. The Magpies are currently third in the table ahead of their clash against Chesterfield today.
And Ardley said he was happy the club can continue chasing for promotion back to the Football League. “I am delighted,” he said.
“I made a couple of phone calls to chief executive Jason Turner during the last six weeks and I don’t know if I ever got myself in a state where I thought it wasn’t going to happen.
“I was always quite relaxed about it. But, obviously, it’s great to have the news that it has been voted for. It gives us a chance now to put that to bed and focus on what’s to come.”