The Highland League

A glorious late summer day at Rothes FC seems a long time ago now but when things are back up and running again then the Highland League is a football destination that invariably combines great scenery with clubs who are firmly rooted in their local communities.

With what could perhaps be described as true Highland pragmatism, the league voted long before anyone else to end the current season and declare league leaders Brora Rangers as champions, a stance that many others now appear to be coming around to.

Since the advent of relegation from the SPFL a few years ago, Brora would usually then have a shot at promotion via a play-off with the champions of the Lowland League but the way of thinking in the SPFL at present seems to be a league reconstruction that shuts out both Brora and their lowland counterparts Kelty Hearts.

But the Highland League has stood firm for many years and will do so again whenever the new campaign starts.

For a good lockdown read, Mat Guy's Barcelona to Buckie Thistle uses the Highland League as a base for some football journey's that are slightly off the radar.

Rhyl FC

News broke last week that the 141-year history of Rhyl FC, superbly curated in this article on the Grassroots North Wales website, looks to be at an end with formal winding up proceedings beginning after the failure to secure fresh investment.

Unfortunately it is unlikely that Rhyl will be the only club not to come through the current crisis unscathed.

Many clubs will have other issues that exacerbate their plight (Rhyl could not secure a deal to buy the Belle Vue ground or gain a longer lease) but Covid-19 will be the determing factor in tipping them over the edge.

Efforts have already started to try and plot a way forward, the Rhyl Fans Association (RFA) looking to raise funds and potentially look to begin a 'phoenix' club.

A quote from Rhyl FC managing director Adam Roche (who will work alongside the RFA), in Sunday's The Non-League Paper, is a perceptive one, however.

He said: "My suggestion to the Fans Association will be that you get one chance to start up a new club and do it right."

The current crisis means it is a very difficult environment to begin a new club as it encompasses so many different areas of personal and business life which mean finding the people, time and money to get things off the ground becomes that much harder.

But Rhyl have history and passion on their side, two factors that will hopefully go a long way to returning football to the town.

Could Virtual Admission Soon be a Reality?

One of the many inventive ways that clubs have come up with to raise funds in the past few weeks has been to offer virtual admission to supporters, whether for scheduled matches that couldn’t take place (spectators being invited to donate what they would normally have paid on the day) or for viewing classic matches online.

That has stretched out into a wider fundraising drive with the chance to have a stadium named after you (Frome Town) or be assistant manager for the day (FC United of Manchester).

The response has been overwhelming in many cases as supporters have rallied to the cause and not just of their own clubs. Tranmere Rovers fans, for instance, have donated to South Park FC who they played previously in the FA Trophy.

On behalf of the club we would like to thank the @TROSC_TRFC for your kind donation towards our target. The messages of support from the SWA have been fantastic.@TranmereRovers@SouthernSWA1 @NicolaPalios https://t.co/wmEMLzY1KU

— South Park FC (@South_ParkFC) April 23, 2020

But, as the phrase 'a new normal' is being heard more and more, clubs do look set to be playing games behind closed doors and perhaps not just at the professional level either.

I'm wondering if I was too optimistic in last week's post on pre-season friendlies as there is even talk of no football below the National League in England being played until 2021 and a BBC article on the way ahead quotes a league official at that level as saying there would be 'no point' in matches behind closed doors.

But that, to me, under-estimates the determination of clubs, volunteers and supporters to find a way through.

In the EFL charging supporters to watch matches online has become more commonplace over the last couple of years but will non-league clubs in England and those at lower levels in Scotland be able to offer something similar, if more basic?

Where There's Pre-Season Friendlies, There's Hope

With clubs in England below National League level knowing already that the current campaign is over, regardless of the rights and wrongs of the decision to null and void the season, it at least means they can try and plan for the 2020/21 season to start on time.

Part of that planning is the announcement of pre-season friendlies and there is something in the lists of these that I always find of interest.

Some of the matches bring together clubs who otherwise may never cross paths, some celebrate or commemorate people with a special link to the participating teams and some, occuring on an annual basis, act as a reassuring sign of normality.

Of course things are not normal at the moment, nobody truly knows when football will be able to re-start and it is feasible that clubs outside of the EFL in England and almost all of the Scottish leagues will be going through pre-season at a time when professional clubs across Europe are finishing off their 2019/20 campaigns.

And slowly, tentatively, plans will be made.

One of the first tweets I have seen was from Newcastle Blue Star FC with three matches against fellow Northern League sides provisionally lined up for the end of July/beginning of August.

How to Sell a 2020/21 Season Ticket

Just one of the many questions facing clubs up and down the country as they battle with the financial implications of football's hibernation.

Usually this time of year sees the sale pitch for next season in full swing and even those clubs who have endured a terrible campaign can normally find an upbeat message to accompany the release of season tickets.

But the current situation has had the dual effect of wiping out current revenue while also severely affecting the ability to bring in advance income.

For many professional clubs in England, although season tickets for 2020/21 are on sale, the simple fact is that nobody currently has any idea of when the campaign will start, or whether there will be any changes to its format, as the intention remains to play out the current season to its conclusion.

In Scotland, despite the chaotic nature of a vote on the way forward which hasn't yet produced a definitive result, the direction of travel seems to be that the current season is not going to re-start.

This, it is hoped, will allow for 2020/21 to begin on (or close to) time and, crucially, allow a new television deal to kick in.

For all clubs there is a balance to be struck between three factors, realism that supporters are facing an uncertain future of their own, the need to bring in cash and the wider positive impact that they can have on the local community.

Aberdeen FC have shown a willingness to innovate since the arrival of Dave Cormack as chairman, the businessman floating ideas such as Saturday evening kick-offs and singing sections at Pittodrie in a bid to improve attendances.

Despite a warning from Cormack that the current situation may lead to a £5m funding gap, the Dons 'Still Standing Free' campaign for 2020/21 season tickets looks to have achieved a balance between the competing interests.

Options for 0% interest free payment (with the club meeting the costs of interest) have been extended and season ticket sales are helping to raise funds for the Aberdeen FC Community Trust with a whole host of work currently going on between the club and the trust to reach out to the community and help in whatever way they can.

Matlock Town FC

I caught a glimpse of Matlock Town's Causeway Lane ground on a baking hot August Bank Holiday last year, wandering in through the adjacent cricket club to have a look at a stadium that has a prime town centre location and one of the finest views in football, that of Riber Castle, at one end.

It stirred some memories from long ago as the Gladiators were one of the teams who featured in 'Tividale to Wembley', a favourite book from childhood with journalist Brian James following the path of the FA Cup from the preliminary round to the final.

'I'll make sure to come a game' was my thought at the time, Matlock being not too far from Sheffield, and because football is always with us and there's always another match around the corner.

Not at the moment, however, due to the coronavirus outbreak and maybe not in the future as clubs such as Matlock and many others battle for their survival.

A fund-raising appeal has been launched, which can be accessed here, but even at such a difficult time thoughts are with others and NHS workers can get free season tickets for the 2020/21 campaign.

Leagues Look to Keep Clubs on a Sound Footing

At a time when the idea of a 'football family', as a notion that ties together clubs, players and supporters at all levels of the game, seems more fanciful than ever before, I continue to be struck by the goodwill being shown by those at the grassroots despite the very real fears that officials and volunteers will have about the future of their clubs.

I highlighted those clubs who have made donations and offers to the NHS, collectively and individually to staff, in the previous post and there has been plenty more of that in the last few days.

It's not just individual clubs, however, who are pulling together but leagues too (in the absence, perhaps, of some leadership from the Football Association at a time when it is really needed).

The North West Counties Football League, for instance, has waived annual fees for the 2020/21 season amid a number of measures which it is hoped will be worth around £35,000 to its 60 clubs.

And the main sponsors of the South West Peninsula League, together with the league themselves, have agreed a £12,000 package which will ensure none of the 40 member clubs will have annual fees to pay next season.

Good luck to them both and all of their clubs at this difficult period.

Clubs Come Through Despite Their Own Troubles

One feature of the past week at clubs up and down the country is that, despite the huge worry and uncertainty over their own position, so many have taken the opportunity to make a positive contribution within their own community.

That has ranged from unused food and drink being donated to local charities to donations and support for the NHS.

And next season, whenever that may be, a number of clubs such as Keynsham Town, Worsbrough Bridge and Rochester United (and many others I'm sure) are offering free admission to NHS staff in recognition of their tireless efforts.

I read a quote recently along the lines of these clubs being at the heart of the fightback effort in the community when life begins to slowly return to something approaching 'normal' and in so many cases it is absolutely true.