The Next 6 Months?

A photo of the main stand at Dorking today shows how it still isn't being taken seriously. It could almost be confused with a match from last season.

A picture on the Dorking twitter of the match sponsor shaking hands, arm round the shoulder, with the man of the match ffs.

It’s Nick Wheeler isn’t it? He questioned the decision to call the game off on Tuesday, seemed to think it was suss. Bizarre.

Weren't Dorking at the forefront of the campaign for clubs at our level to be 'elite' so that they could take part in the play-offs and then when that meant there couldn't be any spectators climbed on the 'let fans in' bandwagon?

They’re one of the clubs that have called for Barwick to resign. They get the same funding as us. Similar crowds to us as well I think?

I can’t figure them out really. When I went there in February everyone was very welcoming and accommodating. Play-offs they had an enormous amount of staff but no issues, no arrogance or anything. But something about them just doesn’t strike well with me.

I wonder if any of those attending paid to get in. Presumably the board could be fined 10K each as organisers.

Interesting response from the league to the argument that the £10m was distributed fairly.

http://www.doverathletic.com/news/national-league-letter/

Very interesting - some might call it an arrogant response which fails to go into any detail of how the funding decision was actually reached. It sounds like some mediation between the various parties is urgently required.

I’d hardly call Brian Barwick a long serving chair of the NL - he was appointed in 2015. The signatories of the letter are entitled to their high opinion of him - there are others who remember his time at the head of the FA less fondly.

Jim Parmenter, who is pictured and is one of the signatories to the letter, is the chairman of Dover who have come out of this far better than if the money had been divided up on the basis of attendances, although I am sure that isn't relevant!

Some of the Dover fans on their forum appear embarrassed by his stance and sympathise with the likes of Maidstone, who of course are their local rivals. According to previous posts on there during the pandemic he has a long history of going online to say the end is near for his club despite the huge sacrifices made by him and his family. They tend to take his utterances with a pinch of salt...

The government announcement of £135m for sports includes £11m for National League (steps 1 & 2). Not clear if this is in addition to that already provided from Lottery resources. Surprising that Premiership Rugby gets over £40m as it is well funded by TV rights and wealthy owners!

The total is actually £300m which is intended to see clubs through to the end of the financial year. There is £135m going to rugby at all levels, with £59m to the Premiership clubs. I assume it is just coincidence that horse racing gets £40m when the person running (I use the term loosely) the test and trace is also a member of the board of the Jockey Club...

National League clubs at Steps 1 and 2 get £11m - which is on top of the £10m from the National Lottery - with Steps 3 to 6 getting £14m.

There is a catch of course, in that the £300m will be in the form of loans although I don't think the term of the loans or the interest rates have been decided. Although the National League clubs are actually getting £21m, the fact that they are going to have to repay part of it isn't quite the same as the £20m package which seemed to be on offer a few weeks ago.

I also wonder if the fact that this money is going down to lower levels this time is to sugar the pill of fans not being let in in the near future.

What I can't understand is why the chancellor didn't make it a billion pound or maybe two. It is all just fantasy money and never has to be paid back.

Long term loans on low interest rates is not unreasonable alongside available grants and tax deferral. As always the judicious and prudent will manage better.

With the potential for supporters to be allowed back next month it is only on 28th December when we have a home league game. - We may or may not have a Trophy game.

I fear we will be back in lockdown again by then Peter.

With the Trophy 2nd and 3rd rounds so close together (another of the FA's great ideas), we could potentially have two home games in the space of four days.

No, we will be drawn away to two Essex clubs

comrade powell wrote: No, we will be drawn away to two Essex clubs

We are both assuming we get through the first game!

comrade powell wrote: No, we will be drawn away to two Essex clubs

I had a yellow card for a similar view on the draw guessing game!

LB wrote:

comrade powell wrote: No, we will be drawn away to two Essex clubs

We are both assuming we get through the first game!

But we're in the draw for both rounds.

comrade powell wrote:

LB wrote:

comrade powell wrote: No, we will be drawn away to two Essex clubs

We are both assuming we get through the first game!

But we're in the draw for both rounds.

Good point!

From 02 December Bath is in Tier 2 so is that up to 2k supporters allowed into games?

Bob and Shane will sort it.

North Somerset is in Tier 3 so hundreds of supporters, including a certain "comrade" won't be allowed.

I don't envy the people trying to deal with this, an administrative nightmare.

North Somerset is the WsM region - Frome is nowhere near there. Mendip is tier 2.
I believe our official capacity is around 3500 so the limit is likely to be a lot less than 2000 especially as the local councils will have a big say on how many are allowed in. And there will have been a review of the tiers before our next home league fixture.