IT’S HEARTACHE FOR QUAKERS!
Play-off dream ends for Darlo, Hungerford and Poole
A CRUEL twist has been added to the National League North and South promotion races with three clubs told they cannot enter the play-offs due to not meeting ground-grading requirements.
Darlington are the shock victims and on Friday the Quakers came clean that they weren’t aware their new Blackwell Meadows home had too few seats until it was too late. Hungerford announced on Saturday they are ineligible for promotion – 48 hours after fellow National League South side Poole Town had suffered the same covered seat-related fate.
All three clubs have already lodged appeals.
THE National League South and North promotion battles have both been thrown into late-season chaos after the ground graders revealed their results.
Hungerford Town yesterday became the latest club to discover they have been told they cannot compete in the play-offs. That came after Poole Town revealed they have failed to achieve what was asked of them.
But the biggest shock came on Good Friday when Darlington announced they are not eligible for promotion from the National League North.
The Quakers, who moved into Blackwell Meadows this season, installed just 280 seats into their revamped new home and said they have been taken by surprise by the demands placed upon them.
The FA’s National Ground Grading Category B document says: “The minimum covered accommodation must be 500, of which at least 250 shall be seats located in one stand. These seats may be inclusive of Directors/Committee and press seating,” but adds: “Note: Clubs may retain membership of the National League North/South provided they achieve a Category ‘B’ grading and have 250 seats under cover in one stand.”
Unaware
Darlington’s statement read: “The requirement to have 500 covered seats across two stands as at March 31, 2017, came about as a result of a change to the ground grading rules in May 2016, which was not picked up at the time of the development of Blackwell Meadows. The rules prior to May 2016 allowed temporary seating to be used for the play-offs as long as the club could show that it had obtained planning permission and had detailed plans to construct a permanent seated stand – which we of course do.
“By the time the board was fully aware of the requirement, it was not able to act because of the timescales involved and lack of funds available.”
Meanwhile, the news that two National League South sides have been told they can’t compete has thrown things into disarray. If appeals from Poole and Hungerford fail, the team in seventh place – currently Hampton & Richmond Borough – will compete in the play-offs instead.