LET’S USE THIS TIME SHREWDLY
Brakes chief supports Step 2 pause
LEAMINGTON chairman Jim Scott welcomed the “pragmatic” two-week suspension of play at Step 2 but insisted National League chiefs must have answers by the end of it.
Many National League North and South clubs have railed against taking on loans to continue a season that started behind closed doors with the help of grants.
The Brakes do “not see individual loans to clubs as a viable option” and say the middle-ground option of the National League taking on the loans and then distributing them as grants would have required clarification.
That option, however, was taken off the table by National League officials on Friday night.
Growing calls to get the season axed prompted league chiefs to temporarily stop play at Step 2 – a move Scott sees as sensible, provided the time is used wisely.
“We now have a situation where we need total clarity. Without that you cannot get to the next stage,” he said.
“I think the league has taken a pragmatic approach to take a little bit of time to see what happens with Covid and hopefully solve the funding issue but I don’t think the suspension can extend much beyond two weeks because of the difficulties in completing the season.”
The Brakes have enlisted the help of local MP Matt Western to help lobby the DCMS for further access to grants but Scott said the club would remain “totally open minded until we get clarity on all the aspects put to us” – something he believes the league faces a huge challenge to achieve.
Clarity
“There is a massive amount of work to be undertaken in the next couple of weeks,” he added.
“We don’t have long. The clock is ticking, there are probably a couple of weeks to get to the stage where everyone fully understands the ins and outs and then decisions have to be made.
“You don’t want football clubs going out of business or being forced to trade insolvently.
“We need to have clarity within the fortnight so people can make a full judgment on whether or not they want to continue playing.
“I know some clubs are close to being insolvent or unable to continue now, for other clubs that will happen in a month. Others may have benefactors and will be able to work their way through the season. It is a mismatch.”
In a statement to The NLP,
DCMS said it would be “untrue to suggest funding to the National League was ever promised as all grants”.
“Everyone’s perception was that any need for funding post-December would be in the form of grants,” said Scott, who explained he had not been privy to the discussions with Government but said he had “no reason to disbelieve” National League officials.
“It appears the FA and National League have a different interpretation of the meeting that took place with DCMS regarding that (but) all clubs entered the season with that belief.”