You really can make a difference!
Midway through last season, predominantly at Steps 3 and 4 but no doubt also further down the pyramid, there were a number of clubs who suffered crippling point(s) deductions. In such cases, the crimes are often varied but last season the repeated offence tended to be that of ‘player registrations’ or rather, the errors made when ‘registering’ players.
Shaw Lane, Halesowen Town, Sutton Coldfield and Frickley Athletic were just a number of clubs to suffer for breaching the rules, while Cleethorpes Town’s promotion charge in EVO-STIK South was derailed in the blink of an eye when they were docked a whopping 12 points for fielding the ineligible Richard Walton, whose re-registering from Lincoln City wasn’t completed properly.
In all cases, I can safely say that no club would have been trying to pull a fast one. We are talking honest mistakes here, but we are talking honest mistakes by people – club secretaries, club chairmen, or Maureen who does a few hours behind the bar – who have full-time careers elsewhere and so are not equipped to deal with the robust rules and regulations that leagues and football’s governing body demand of club administrators. There is an immense amount of work that goes into the process of signing a player and one false step can be damaging for clubs, not to mention utterly heart-breaking.
This is why I champion the cause for more volunteers to get involved with their local club. Whether you are an accountant, a builder, a barmaid, a plumber, a doctor or a driving instructor – a football club unites the masses and there will be something you can do to help this season.
I’m not blind; lifestyles have changed and time has become ever more precious. People, in all walks of employment, do not have the luxury of clocking off and then switching off. And, it is entirely your right to watch a game of football at the club you love and then disconnect yourself from it until the following Saturday. But I believe there are a lot of people out there who want to get involved but feel they can’t because a club’s ‘perceived’ insular nature prevents them from having the confidence to put their hands up.
The difference you can make is remarkable. Injections of cash only go so far and are often swallowed up by overheads within weeks. But volunteers can last a lifetime. If you want to get involved in your club, please do so and don’t be afraid to offer a hand. Too many clubs are relying on the same old faces and those same old faces can’t keep doing the heavy lifting forever.
Meanwhile, a quick word on Salford City, a club that has come under a fair bit of fire this off-season for the spending spree they have enjoyed. Well, for yesterday’s season starter against Leyton Orient, the well-financed Ammies were charging just £10 entry for adults and compared to some of the prices that have been hiked up in the National League in recent years, that’s highly admirable.
A club with vision and boardroom muscle they may be, but it’s so refreshing to see a club like Salford putting the fans first for a change.