Yesterday’s government statement suspending the return of spectators on 1 October was a severe blow to football fans. The implications for fans at all levels is currently unclear and for National League clubs at Steps 1-2 even more so.

There are currently so many unanswered questions. Will crowds of up to a maximum of 600 continue to be allowed at Steps 3-7? What will happen to the FA Cup as Step 2 clubs currently have to play behind closed doors and we are due to enter that competition on Saturday 3 October? What decision will the National League make on commencement of the season and will clubs get an individual vote on that decision.

One point for your general interest is that if clubs have players on contract (not yet activated) and they play in an FA cup tie on 3 October then their contracts will be activated for the whole season with significant costs to clubs.

There are so many more questions and issues in addition to those listed above, as we sail through these uncharted waters. Clubs are taking part in a conference call later today to air and discuss their views and we can expect communication from the FA and National League in the coming days. We will update you as soon as we have definitive information.

We have been working hard over the last 6 weeks to get the stadium ready for the return of fans with all necessary social distancing measures and that work would have been completed before 3 October. One way markings, standing and queueing areas have all been completed within the stadium, screening is currently being installed in refreshment areas and team changing rooms have altered to enable player social distancing measures. We have been successful in obtaining a £15,000 grant through the Football Foundation funded by the Premier League. This can only be used for COVID-19 measures to enable the return of play and fans through the gate.

We have also been working hard on meeting the Sports Ground Safety Advisory Group guidelines on determining safe social distancing capacity guidelines and those figures suggest that the capacity will be approximately 620 based on a one metre distancing rule.

We have installed a significantly enhanced Wi-Fi system to enable us to stream matches live and have purchased the equipment to make this possible. The National League have advised us that we are allowed to stream matches whilst the COVID-19 restrictions on the full return of fans remain in place.

As and when fans are allowed back in stadiums it will only be on the proviso that ‘track and trace’ systems are in place for all fans attending, thus we have agreed a deal with a ticketing company that will, for the foreseeable future, make all games ‘ticket only’.

We had deliberately held back on announcements regarding season tickets due to the uncertainty and that has proved a wise decision in light of yesterday’s announcement. We did not wish to take fans money when there are so many unknowns. The fantastic support already provided by fans means that we are under no immediate financial pressure.

In fact, the view of the board is that the uncertainty is not going to go away and thus we will not be introducing season tickets. We will instead be introducing a very, very low cost membership scheme aimed at ensuring that our fans have priority on ticketing when you are finally allowed back in stadiums.

The club are deliberating as to whether to offer a season ticket for our streaming service, however,  if this is the way the National League decide to proceed with the season.

With regard to the requirement to appoint a club Medical Officer we are delighted to announce that Helen Dillon, a consultant in the Infectious Diseased Department at Warwick Hospital, has volunteered to fill the role and we are hugely indebted to her for her support.

Undoubtedly we will be further updating you in the coming days with the latest consequences of the government ruling. In the meantime keep safe and don’t lose the faith.

Jim Scott
Chairman
On behalf of the Board of Directors.