National League North season determined null and void
Leamington FC’s season was declared null and void last week after National League clubs voted to end the campaign amid a funding dispute.
Clubs in the National League system were asked to vote on a number of resolutions about curtailing the season after it emerged that the Department for Culture, Digital, Media and Sport (DCMS) would not be providing grant-based funding for the second half of the year.
National League bosses asked clubs to vote on three motions to determine the outcome of the season.
Resolution one asked clubs to decide whether the vote would apply to the National League pyramid or be broken into individual steps. The resolution passed, meaning clubs decided the fate of their own divisions.
Resolution two, which asked National League clubs whether they wanted to continue, was defeated by 13 votes to seven, meaning the season will carry on.
Resolution three, which applied to clubs in the National League North and South, passed by a margin of 24 to 19, voiding the results of the 2020/21 season.
Leamington, who sat ninth before the season was suspended in January, voted to end the campaign.
The decision was taken after much soul searching by the Board of Directors on the key issues of fulfilling the competition
– Jim Scott
Chairman Jim Scott, who has called on the government to provide clubs with grants, explained the Brakes’ decision in a team statement.
“The decision was taken after much soul searching by the Board of Directors on the key issues of fulfilling the competition, health and safety surrounding the COVID pandemic, plus the ongoing financial security of the club,” Scott wrote.
“It became clear that even if there was a vote to continue the season the reality was that there would not be a full return to completion of scheduled fixtures until the outcome of funding applications were known to individual clubs. Even then, there was considerable doubt in our minds whether clubs who were refusing to play, would do so.
“The impact of all this in our view was a likely extension of the league season thus incurring further players/staff costs for the additional weeks plus an expansion of the playing squad to deal with a congested fixture list. Player availability would undoubtedly be affected as all our players are part-time and their main jobs would clearly have to take precedence in these challenging times.”
If step two clubs had voted to continue the season, Scott confirmed that Leamington “would have honoured the decision to play.”
“We, alongside other fellow clubs who entered the competition, have been fully committed to completing the season at all times,” a club spokesperson wrote.
“Given the majority of National League member clubs wanted to continue to play football, and given the majority of National League South clubs wanted to continue to play football, we believe it is entirely unreasonable that in any event the National League are not seeking to protect their member clubs.”
Dorking, who led the National League South before it was halted, have placed on record their “support for those clubs that no longer thought that completing the 2021 season was sustainable.”
Matt Western, the Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington, responded to the Brakes’ statement on Twitter.
“I know Brakes will return stronger next season-unlike other struggling clubs,” Mr Western wrote.
“[It is] right to prioritise safety of players, staff. But appears [the Government’s] failure to control virus and get fans back cost league season, placing expiration date on support for clubs.”
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