Clubs split on vote to scrap rest of season
NATIONAL League clubs are split on whether or not to call an end to the 2019/20 season.
Stockport County and their divisional rivals have been asked to vote on whether to scrap all fixtures that would have been played until the end of the campaign.
And a BBC report found that, of the 24 National League clubs, 10 want the season to end immediately, four want it to continue, nine are undecided and one refused to answer.
The league’s board have recommended that clubs vote to end the season.
If it is approved a second vote will be held to determine the outcomes of the season.
However, there is a lack of clarity regarding the second vote as far as some clubs are concerned and they would prefer to know more about how that will work, whether it will involve promotion and relegation, before committing.
Clubs have until May 7 to cast their votes but it had been hoped that a decision would be made this week.
As well as the 24 National League clubs, the National League North and South divisions will get four votes each.
Meanwhile, National League title sponsors Vanarama has launched the Covid-19 Small Business Support Team.
The initiative will provide information and guidance for clubs, sole traders, the selfemployed and small limited companies on how to access the funding available from the UK Government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are immensely proud to be involved in non-league football and watching the Vanarama National League grow year on year has been truly amazing. We don’t want to see any UK club collapse due to the Covid19 pandemic,” said Andy Alderson, CEO and Founder of Vanarama.
“We understand that this is an incredibly stressful time for clubs across the country and finding the right government funding can be overwhelming.
“As a company we pride ourselves in providing industry leading customer service, so, have further invested in training our customer service team so that they can offer sound advice and guide clubs in these difficult times.”
The National League’s CEO, Michael Tattersall, said: “This is a fantastic scheme from Vanarama, who have further shown their amazing commitment to our league by offering support and advice to our clubs in a time of need.
“We know this will give all of our clubs a boost to know they have an expert helping hand through such a difficult period.”