Cannot see it being for a while although other countries do have limited fans. Would make a difference potentially for clubs to have fans in for that final run in next Spring.
The Brisbane Lions vs Richmond Tigers Aussie Rules game on Friday had a crowd of 22,104 - around half of what would normally be expected. All Lions fans too, which made a huge difference as the Lions won against expectations. That figure was only marginally bigger than the new infection numbers announced in England yesterday - I think it will be a good while before we see crowds back at matches here.
I am interested to know what will happen in the FA Cup this year BB. At the moment clubs below the Nationwide league ie. Southern and Northern Leagues, and the Isthmian League, are allowed to have fans in the stadium. I saw YouTube coverage of the Tiverton v Taunton second qualifying round (both Southern League Premier) and there were fans there. Will this be stopped once they start pairing up against Nationwide teams ? What will happen if any of these clubs get through to the first round proper ? At the moment clubs at this level dream about getting through to get a League club at home and a big gate but this will, presumably, be gone this year.
There was a discussion about this on Sky Sports News over the weekend - whether it was just a proposal by their presenters or a 'ruling' I don't know. I wasn't paying that much attention (because, dare I say it, the discussion involved a couple of female presenters whose voices I find particularly grating), but it appeared to be around non-league vs EFL or EPL, EFL vs EPL and which was the home team & in which games which fans would be allowed. Have tried searching online for more info but can't find any.
Being a Saturday evening, one does tend to look at the football results. I wonder if there are many leagues that have teams with names that take you on a flight of fancy. Gala Fairydean Rovers, Bonnyrigg Rose, Dalbeattie Star, The Spartans, and Civil Service Strollers all play in one league.
South America can sound a bit strange as well - you've got Everton v O'Higgins in Chile and Blooming v The Strongest in Bolivia.
I've seen all of those teams play over the last few years, some in action against my Highland League team & others after making a trip there just out of interest. The only Lowland League side I haven't watched is the newest one, Caledonian Braves - formerly known as Edusport Academy. I suspect it will be at least one more season before I get the chance to watch them though.
An 18 team Premier league? Cannot see the lower PL clubs voting for that! Would have come in ages if they did. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54499998
Another weekend of players flying here there and everywhere for international matches and then coming home and testing positive for Covid 19 ! I noted also that England will be playing in an empty Wembley Stadium - so they could just as easily have played it at Billericay Town FC - at least this might have generated a bit of money at the grassroots level, where it is so sorely needed now. Scotland are also playing at Hampden Park today (empty) and France at 'Stade de France' (not sure if this is completely empty). I understand that the facilities at Billericay Town FC (or St. Albans) are not up to the required standards of these overpaid prima donnas (the showers might not be warm enough for their delicate skins) - but this would have been a perfect opportunity to bring money to where it is needed.
If they are looking at giving some clubs 'special status', you can bet your last penny that what the lower clubs think is irrelevant. You could almost have predicted this years ago - bloody Yanks taking over and ruining our game, all in the name of money...
Sad but predictable - it wouldn't surprise me if the floodgates now open. please log in to view this image
Merthyr Town have done the same BB and withdrawn from the Southern Premier League South. Apparently the area of Merthyr is very badly hit and in full lockdown - their competitors are allowed fans but they aren't. All getting very messy in the lower leagues.
Since this announcement, made only yesterday, three more clubs from the top division have decided to drop out as well. The League then announced that they have cancelled promotion/relegation for the season - as a result of which ten more clubs across the top and lower regional divisions, unhappy with the decision, have also said that they will be pulling out. These divisions feed into the Lowland League, and it wouldn't surprise me to find a similar story happening there.
Football in England is just a mirror image of the UK economy, something that is built on false promises and balance sheets. Foreign "investors" have come in to not improve matters, but take money away from football and the country. Man.Utd never owed a penny until the Glaziers descended on them, and used the club's own money to finance their takeover. They now set their own dividends and send money out of the country. Look at electricity companies, water companies, transport and numerous industrial companies and just where the owners are. Large dividends are again paid out, and disappear out of the country. The governance at the top of football and the country is quite appalling. Non-league football is still very much a local event, with the clubs kept viable by fans, sponsors and fund raising events. Many sponsors are local companies that can be suffering themselves at the present time. With different situations in various parts of the country, the only fair thing for everyone was to stop the competition. Banbury Utd play in the same league as Merthyr Town and are able to play in front of fans, but would it not be fairer to Merthyr to have put the league into mothballs? If one person goes into the clubhouse in Banbury and spreads the virus to a couple of others, then it is good reason to be closed.
It is a blatant attempt to bribe the EFL into accepting the proposals by taking advantage of the financial crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be detrimental to the the EFL clubs in the long-term (as happened with EPPP) and increase the power of the 'Big Six' clubs who will be able to dictate the rules in the future. The wealth gap between those clubs and the rest will be widened even further. The £250 million subsidy to the EFL clubs will be covered by abolishing parachute payments and the 'Big Six' clubs will have the power (though the new voting procedures) to reduce any future payments to EFL clubs. They will also be able to control the allocation of television money.
Strong support for the proposals from EFL clubs today - unsurprisingly. Eleven clubs from Leagues One and Two expect to go out of business by Xmas if no financial help is forthcoming. Perhaps surprisingly, the main opposition is coming from EPL clubs - mainly due to rumours that Liverpool and ManUre want to form a breakaway league. Let them, I say - then ban them from cup games, ban their players from playing for England, ban them from buying EFL players. Bloody Yankee owners and their sodding homage to the dollar...
