Non-Elite Football Suspended

We note the UK Government’s announcement on Monday 4 January with regards to the new national COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown.

As a result, the impact on ‘non-elite’ football in England will include the suspension of fixtures and training across the following with immediate effect:

• Steps three to six of the National League System

• Tiers three to seven of the Women’s Football Pyramid

• Regional NLS feeder leagues

• Barclays FA WSL Academy League (unless under elite status)

• FA Girls Regional Talent Clubs (unless under elite status)

• All indoor and outdoor youth and adult grassroots football, including under-18s (except organised outdoor football for disabled people, which is allowed to continue)

• Vitality Women’s FA Cup (which is currently classified as ‘non-elite’ at this stage in the competition)

It is extremely important that clubs, players, coaches, match officials, league officials, volunteers, parents, carers and facility providers adhere to the Government’s new national COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and we implore everyone to follow these.

Dialogue will continue with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, leagues, competitions and County Football Associations and we will provide further updates for the 2020-21 Vitality Women’s FA Cup, Buildbase FA Vase and ‘non-elite’ football when relevant.

We would like to thank the football community once again for its hard work, resilience and understanding during such an incredibly challenging period for both the game and wider society.

Joint statement from the Youth Leagues

Following the Government’s announcement on Saturday 19th December 2020 and our decision to postpone all fixtures on 20th & 27th December 2020, we would like to update you on what has happened since. As most of you will know, the FA & DCMS issued a further update indicating that grassroots football at U18 and below could continue and, whilst this can be seen as good news, it also raised many queries that we, as a League, and you, as Clubs, need to fully understand. We have already seen some e-mails from Clubs with concerns on how football can continue when, in our day-to-day lives, there are so many restrictions in place for us all.

Following a meeting yesterday with Surrey FA and fellow Youth Leagues, we have agreed that all League fixtures scheduled for the weekend of 2nd/3rdJanuary 2021 will be postponed. This decision has been made now to give clarity and as much notice as we can to all Clubs & parents etc as well as to have a consistent message across the Leagues.

We are expecting a further update from the Government at the end of December whereupon we will review the situation and make any decisions that could impact the weekend of 9th/10th January 2021. If we encounter further disruption to the fixture schedule, we will need to consider what football we can offer but we trust that you understand that there are too many unknowns at this point.

Following the meeting with Surrey FA, we can share attached some clear guidance on the guidelines that must be followed in order for any football activity to continue and we must stress that, as Clubs, you must follow these guidelines in any activity that you may look to provide to your Members:-

· Please ensure that, as a Club, you fully review the rules around players travelling to matches and/or training, especially for those Clubs that may have players or venues that sit either side of the Tier boundaries.

· In particular, you should note that, despite both Surrey (excluding Waverley) and Greater London being Tier 4 areas, it is not permitted for Clubs or players from Surrey (excluding Waverley) to travel to Greater London to play or train and vice versa.

We will continue to review any updates and will share new information as soon as it is available. What remains clear is that we need everyone to stay flexible and work with us in order that we can look to have everyone back within a safe and controlled environment across all of the Clubs. We need to avoid, as much as possible, any local/Club/personal views that could impact League fixtures being played. Let us hope that we can look forward to everything returning to whatever normal will look like and that we can give the players back some positive experiences on the pitch as soon as possible.

FA Statement regarding grassroots football

We can provide an update for ‘non-elite’ football in England following the UK Government’s announcement on new national COVID-19 restrictions that will be in place from Thursday 5 November 2020 until Wednesday 2 December 2020.

As a result of the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions, and subject to Members of Parliament voting tomorrow [Wednesday 4 November 2020] and the publication of bespoke guidance from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport [DCMS], the impact on ‘non elite’ football in England will include the suspension of the following during this period:

• All fixtures and training for Steps 3-6 of the National League System [NLS]; • All fixtures and training for Tiers 3-7 of the Women’s Football Pyramid [WFP]; • All fixtures and training for the Regional NLS Feeder Leagues; • All fixtures and training for The Barclays FA WSL Academy League; • All fixtures and training for FA Girls Regional Talent Clubs; • All fixtures and training for indoor and outdoor youth and adult grassroots football.

Our aim is to ensure that the 2020-21 season is completed at these levels and will liaise with the relevant leagues in the NLS and WFP and the County Football Associations [CFAs] to provide support and establish appropriate options to do so if required.

The UK Government has confirmed that school sport can continue as an exemption during this period.

In addition, the UK Government has confirmed that all Emirates FA Cup First Round fixtures will go ahead as planned this weekend between Friday 6 and Monday 9 November 2020. The ten ‘non-elite’ clubs that remain in the competition will be able to play their fixtures under ‘elite’ protocols. In line with the new national COVID-19 restrictions, these ‘non-elite’ teams are only permitted to train together until Wednesday 4 November 2020.

Further updates on fixtures and dates for the 2020-21 Vitality Women’s FA Cup, FA Youth Cup, Buildbase FA Trophy and Buildbase FA Vase will follow in due course.

Re-starting football at these levels has taken substantial determination and commitment from stakeholders across the game and we would like to thank everyone for their vital contributions. However, health and wellbeing remain the priority, so it is extremely important that clubs, players, coaches, match officials, league officials, volunteers, parents, carers and facility providers adhere to the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions during this period.

We remain in dialogue with the DCMS, leagues, competitions and CFAs and will provide further clarification for ‘non-elite’ football in England following the debate in the House of Commons tomorrow.