FIRST STEP ISN’T THE HARDEST!
When news broke that Non-League football was being granted “a phased and limited return” for paying spectators, my emotions were a combination of relief and frustration. Relief that, after weeks of discussion and proposals to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), it took a combination of pressure from MPs, the #LetFansIn campaign and a lot of hard work by the FA to get the green light. Frustration that the initial announcement raised more questions than it answered, especially around how many fans would be allowed to return, and when. The next morning brought clarity and good news for some, but not all. The phased return applies to clubs at Steps 3-6 of the NLS and will initially take place in two phases. In the first, up to 15% of clubs’ capacity can be admitted, rising to 30% on August 31 when Phase 2 kicks in. These percentages are based on the minimum capacity at the NLS step in which the club plays.
This means that Step 4 clubs can admit 200 fans initially, rising to 400 from August 31. Step 3 can admit up to 300 fans to start with, rising to 600. For 90 per cent of NPL clubs, this isn’t a problem. Most average attendances are well within these limits, but for our best-supported clubs, these limitations will pose real problems.
Last season, South Shields’ averaged 1,671 at home games. FC United of Manchester 1,668 and Scarborough Athletic 1,001. Ilkeston Town and Workington averaged 498 and 485 respectively at Step 4. At least two of these clubs have sold more season tickets than their temporary crowd limits, not including walk-up or away fans.
The NPL, Isthmian and Southern Leagues would all have liked capacity limits to be based on individual stadium capacities. In reality, securing a return to football required a consistent approach to capacities at each Step. No two football stadia are the same, which makes achieving that consistency very difficult. The only way this could be done was to apply minimum grading capacities, 1,200 at Step 4 and 1,950 at Step 3.
Club compliance with the terms of this ‘phased and limited return’ will be closely scrutinised by all, from government down to individual local authorities.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Number 10 has given the authority for imposing the scale of local restrictions to local authorities, so a common approach there is unlikely. If compliance is poor, there is a real risk these new capacity limits will be reduced, or games suspended. So we have protect the concessions we’ve been granted.
Guidance
There’s no question that allowing stadium-specific capacities would lead to bigger crowds. That risk will be increased if EFL club fans turn to Non-League for their football fix when the professional games starts behind closed doors. In turn, that makes social distancing harder for clubs to manage, and increases the risk of further restrictions being imposed. Most football clubs and fans can be trusted to observe the current restrictions. The challenge lies in us proving it. How did we get to this point? Earlier this summer, the DCMS published guidance for the return of ‘elite sport’, which were adopted by the National League at Steps 1 and 2. DCMS also published guidance for junior football that permitted parents to spectate. The bit in the middle, the National League System, was originally missing. To fill that gap, proposals drafted between the FA, the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), the leagues and DCMS, were submitted to government. Whilst we waited for a formal response, some pre-season friendlies were staged, often in front of substantial crowds. You can’t blame them really; after all, what’s the difference between a crowd of 80 parents or 80 paying spectators? Or between throngs of people on a beach and in a football ground.
Initiative
We have now taken the first step on the road back to footballing normality. Had we rejected this “phased and limited return”, there would have been no games at all. It wasn’t a negotiation process. Had we not started on September 19, it’s likely we would have lost more clubs like Droylsden. Others would have thought hard about the viability of playing in the FA Cup with no crowds and possibly weeks of paying contracted players’ wages without matchday income. That threat has receded – for now.
The next stage is to justify raising those crowd limits by proving football can be trusted to adhere to the conditions of this return. As a league, we will be lobbying for the basis of the capacity calculation to be changed, but in the meantime we have to work with what we have. We will only be able to change the status quo by adhering to government and FA guidelines, assessing risk robustly and following related action plans. We also need to hope pandemic-related conditions do not deteriorate.
It would be naive to think there won’t be interruptions to the new season through local or national restrictions. Trouble is, it’s virtually impossible to predict what or when these might be. The general who plans for the last battle usually loses. Together with the Isthmian and Southern Leagues, we are developing various ‘what if ?’ scenarios to give clubs confidence that different eventualities have been considered. The possibility of limiting the number of games in a set time period is one; finding the right mechanism to determine final placings if the season is curtailed is another.
As the Football Supporters Association survey highlighted last month, 88.1 per cent of fans trust their club to ensure the safety of fans. That means we have a shared responsibility – fans, clubs, leagues, players and officials – to make the current guidelines work. If we don’t, the consequences could be catastrophic.