DARNELL: IT’S BEEN A HUGE SUCCESS

THE Football Association’s competitions manager Chris Darnell has told of his relief and satisfaction that the Buildbase FA Trophy and FA Vase avoided major disruption this season in the wake of further Covid restrictions.

The last two seasons have been majorly affected by the Covid outbreak with the delayed 2019-20 final between Harrogate Town and Concord Rangers played just five days before the 2020-21 showdown when Hornchurch beat Hereford.

“It has been important for everyone involved in football across all levels of the National League System to remain focused on ensuring that fixture commitments can be met this season to enable leagues and competitions to be completed on schedule by the end of May,” Darnell said.

“I’m delighted to say that both the Buildbase FA Trophy and Vase competitions have been progressing well with only limited disruption so far.

“Fortunately neither of the competitions were impacted significantly by the Omicron variant.

“The peak levels of cases were seen towards the end of December, which was during a slightly longer gap between the third and fourth rounds of each.

“There have been Covid control measures in place to ensure all fixtures across both can continue to be played in a safe environment. In addition, a strict postponement policy was implemented by The FA to reduce the risk of fixtures being affected due to Covid related issues.”

With restrictions now hopefully a thing of the past, Darnell is also hopeful that the FA can welcome a bumper crowd to Non-League Finals Day at Wembley Stadium this year.

“The crowd at those games is really what makes Non-League Finals Day such a special event,” he added.

“These occasions are the pinnacle for many players, backroom staff and supporters. They create an atmosphere that isn’t replicated anywhere else. Although we were pleased that last season’s finals could be played in front of a restricted crowd, they simply weren’t the same.

“All being well, we can’t wait to welcome supporters of NonLeague football back to Wembley Stadium in large numbers this season.”