DISCIPLINE IS GETTING WORSE – NWC CHIEF
“IT seems to have got worse this season.”
North West Counties Football League Chairman Paul Lawler isn’t discussing the latest series of Killing Eve but instead referring to the disciplinary records of clubs throughout their jurisdiction.
Lawler, who has held the post since June 2015, spoke openly this week to discusses a number of issues such as what the pandemic has taught Non-League football, and just what the future holds.
“We put a large emphasis on respect and good sportsmanship, with clubs being run well from the very top,” he said broaching the disciplinary problem. This season we’ve seen 23 dismissals from the technical area and 41 cautions – and it’s only January.
“We’ve struggled this season in getting match officials and a lot of that is down to commitment but also decisions being questioned and scrutinised every second of a game. It seems to have worsened this year and I can’t understand why. There’s far less respect being shown to officials and opponents and it has to be addressed.
“I actually think the quality of officials is good, I’m always watching as a neutral and I understand that both sides will have their own views on decisions, but what I see is a set of officials doing their best. This isn’t the Premier League – even their referees get things wrong. Mistakes will be made, but it comes from the very top of clubs to ensure a calmness and discipline.”
Lawler appreciates how difficult the past two seasons have been for everyone and was quick to stress the positives far outweigh the negatives. Not least because completion of a full season now looks highly likely.
“It’s been a really good season in the fact we’ve got the majority of games in,” he notes.
“The biggest concern going into it was making sure we’d complete all the fixtures and so far the weather has held off reasonably.
“If we go another year without finishing then
I think the whole of the National League system could crumble. But we’ve got bigger crowds; people are clearly appreciating Non-League football even more than before and that’s great to see.
“A huge amount of credit has to go to clubs, who have worked really hard towards improving the matchday experience.
“Our priority the last two years obviously hasn’t been football. Helping clubs was so important so we scrapped fines, paid money where we could as well as reducing costs where possible. We’re not blessed with cash, but we helped clubs secure grants from the FA. We only lost one team [FC Oswestry Town who folded in July 2020] which is a tragedy and heart-breaking, but the fact it’s only one is remarkable.
“We have got incredible volunteers, who seemed to just keep going and every success this league has going forward belongs to them.
“This season has been very different in how we’ve approached Covid. With vaccination and protection of our older volunteers, it’s been a lot better for everyone. We’ve tried to not cancel games immediately but have followed quite clear guidelines from the FA on it.
“There are always cases where people won’t be happy, but we’re following the rules fairly across the leagues. Clubs have done really well, we have to praise them because they’ve coped with it superbly.”
Lawler concluded by reinforcing what his main aim throughout the pandemic has been and what will drive his chairmanship going forward.
“I’m a big supporter of clubs being sustainable, that’s what really matters,” he said. “For people to come and enjoy watching Non-League football, growing its supporter base and increasing the popularity of football at the lower levels.
“We’ve come through a really tough time, but we’re looking forward with cautious optimism. Let’s get through this campaign first.”