Northern League clubs asked for views on fate of campaign

EBAC Northern League clubs are to be given the chance to have their say on how the 2020/21 season should be completed.

Clubs across steps five and six of the non-league season have seen their fixture lists heavily disrupted as the Covid-19 epidemic and two separate lockdowns have caused chaos with their schedules.

The latest lockdown, which was announced by the government last Sunday, led to the immediate suspension of all league and cup fixtures for Northern League clubs and it is not yet known when they will return to action.

The Northern Premier League – which functions in the two levels above the Northern League - has announced that they have postponed all fixtures up until the first weekend of March and hold the view that the season should be ended and declared null and void.

That would follow the precedent set just over 12 months ago when the FA Council took the decision to null and void the 2019/20 season with just over two months of the campaign left to play.

In a newsletter sent to step five and six clubs around the country, FA Leagues Committee chairman Mark Frost admitted that the odds of completing the 2020/2021 season are “becoming increasingly doubtful” due to the current restrictions and the inability to host supporters.

No decision has been made by the FA for what the coming months hold for Northern League clubs but Frost has confirmed that a survey will be sent out to clubs to gain their opinions on the best way forward. He also wrote that extending the season into June “would not be feasible”.