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.
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