Vocal Voices

After (I assume) a certain video went viral - you have a lot to answer for, Frank - showing our Ossie "breaking the speed limit and weaving from side to side down the road", the Football Association have obviously taken fright and moved very swiftly to curtail such activities. An email was sent late last night to all County FA's and Step 7 clubs .... here's a good resume:

https://www.herefordtimes.com/sport/186 ... sed-doors/

I had 12 Pre-season Friendlies planned for August. This new ruling, effectively banning Step 7 clubs (top tier of the County leagues) from allowing spectators in - which also (if you read the email's small print) includes their reserve teams as wellif they are playing at home - removes 5 of those fixtures at a stroke and casts doubt over the rest as we have no idea how the County FA's are going to react.

So, while the Ostrich is hastily scrabbling around trying to find alternatives from the bottom of the pond - Queen Camel FC, anyone? Team Gryphon? - here are some observations that initially spring to mind:

1) Many of these clubs play on open recreation grounds. Castle Cary, for example, has a well-used public footpath running down the side of the pitch. How on earth can you enforce the ban?
2) Many non-league groundhoppers, it has to be admitted, are somewhere on the spectrum (including your scribe!). It is already being said that mental health and well-being is being seriously eroded, and the Government are completely to blame here. You cannot have a "stop-start" policy which raises people's hopes and expectations, and then dashes them. Boris's earlier comment that "it will all be over by Christmas" is a prime example. It won't, and the Government needs to stop pretending it will.
3) You are banning groups of 50-100 spectators from standing around the perimeter of a soccer pitch, in the open air. Yet you allow thousands to travel from London to Brighton Beach on a sunny weekend. Will the rail operator Southern cancel all services to the South Coast. If not, why not?
4) The FA are running scared that if just one Covid case is contracted at a non-league friendly, the wrath of the Government (Dept of Media Culture and Sport or whatever) will fall on them. And football will never restart. I signed a disclaimer at last Saturday afternoon's game. That's enough, surely. If it isn't, shall I just shut and bolt my front door and say to hell with the world? We have to allow ourselves some element of risk. Or stuff the economy - again, very mixed messaging from the Government.

Those are just off the top of my head - I'm sure other thoughts will come to mind.

How many teams at the bottom of the pyramid have "grounds" that are little more than a club building or even a couple of portacabins used for changing rooms and with a 3ft high perimeter fence a few yards back from the pitch?

The club my son used to play for is "Juniors" but still FA. It 'looks after' one pitch of five on the public playing fields. It shares the clubhouse, bar and changing rooms with the cricket club. There is no way it can stop other people using the adjacent pitches or stopping to watch their games or prevent horse riders using the public bridle way round half the fields part of which is right next to the pitch. It certainly cannot stop people using the public car park no matter what travel rules they are breaking. Other teams in the local junior leagues are run on similar lines so you are looking at what, five or six thousand players, coaches and parents being impacted, not to mention the stray supporters who just like to watch a game?

Under these new rules / threats some sports clubs of many types might as well just give up and disband and to hell with the physical and mental health costs. They are mainly run by volunteers who can always find something else productive to do with their time.

Mind you, watch this space ..... (or rather, the other thread)