Farewell (Again) to Bootham Crescent

Back in February I wrote about the final matches scheduled to be played at Bootham Crescent, the historic home of York City FC, before a move to the club's new community stadium.

Of course things didn't quite pan out as expected but the knock-on effect of some further delays with the new stadium has been a further few months at Bootham Crescent and, while York was under Tier 2 restrictions, a brief window for fans to watch one more game in person.

A move to Tier 3 means this Saturday's game against Bradford Park Avenue will now be behind closed doors so, with the Monk's Cross stadium now signed off, the 627 who were lucky enough to see Monday's win against Guiseley may well be the last supporters to have watched a game at Bootham Crescent.

Saturday's game is being streamed live, however, and accessible on a 'pay what you want' basis.

Happy New Year

Thank you to everyone who has read the blog or followed on twitter over the course of 2020, a year that we will all remember of course.

The nature of what I do with both has changed quite a bit over the past few months, firstly as football completely ground to a halt and clubs and their communities helped each other to get through and then during the stop-start season being played out across the UK.

Wednesday's announcement of tighter restrictions in England has brought the majority of football below 'elite' level and it is hard to see the 2020/21 season being completed in the usual manner as a huge amount of matches still need to be played and it is increasingly hard to see the restrictions being eased at any point in the next couple of months.

I'll keep plugging any matches that are taking place, links to live streams and fundraising efforts but for now, stay safe and take care.

Stars of 2020: Donate a Ticket

The whole of the Scottish mainland will be placed into Tier 4 of the country's Covid-19 restrictions on Boxing Day, ending a brief period in which Highland League clubs in Tier 1 were able to welcome supporters and before those in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders areas could even open their doors.

For the rest of the country it is pretty much no change as they carry on behind closed doors with a busy Boxing Day schedule that includes some long journeys in the Scottish Cup.

More important than ever, perhaps, the Donate a Ticket platform has enabled clubs in Scotland to raise much-needed revenue.

Earlier in the year I asked Ruaridh Kilgour, the founder of Donate a Ticket, how it came into being.

'The idea initially came about when thinking of a way to help my club, Raith Rovers. 

'I wanted a fundraising page that allowed supporters to rationalise a donation and also give clubs a narrative to ask supporters to donate their hard-earned money. 

'By using Donate a TIcket, it brings back a little bit of excitement and competition between clubs and supporters that we're all sorely missing. 

'The Scottish Cup virtual fundraising tournament, in particular, has been a great success and some clubs have even raised more from their virtual ties than they would from an average home gate.'

At the time the amount raised was over £100,000 but at the time of writing nearly £300K has been donated.

Can Marine (and Spurs) Give a New Year Boost?

Whereas just a few short weeks ago the prospect of Boxing Day football looked like something many supporters could look forward to, Saturday's raft of announcements from the various UK administrations have, at a stroke, sent spirits tumbling.

Leagues below the National League in England that are covered by the new Tier 4 restrictions are now on hold, others, where supporters are still allowed, have seen splits among clubs as to whether they wish to carry on without vital revenue from bar and clubhouse takings.

In Scotland, I wrote just last week about Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders areas where plans were being made for the return of fans as they were moved down to Tier 1 of Scotland's Covid restrictions.

That of course has not lasted long as all mainland areas will be under Tier 4 measures after Christmas.

There are still plenty of games taking place over the festive period and if you are heading to a match I hope it really is a cracker.

⚽️ FESTIVE FOOTBALL ⚽️

Potentially first game in over 2 months for the 1st team 🤞

💚 BOXING DAY 💚
1ST TEAM
🏟 HOME v @CreddyAFC
⏰ 11am KO
🏆 @swpleague
💰 Adults £5, OAP £3, 16-21 £2, U16 £1

💚 MONDAY 28TH 💚
1ST TEAM
🏟 AWAY v @CullyRangers_FC
🕑 3pm KO
🏆 @swpleague

— Elmore AFC (@ElmoreAFC) December 21, 2020

Into 2021 and hopefully Marine's FA Cup tie at home to Tottenham Hotspur can provide a bit of a lift to those watching live on the BBC with 500 spectators allowed (currently), elevating the game from a closed-door affair stripped of it's relevance to one where we will be able to hear real voices, shouts of encouragement and the occasional bit of language that forces the commentators into making an apology.

Marine have held their usual admission prices for the priority groups (members, players, staff and fans who have attended as many as possible of the seven home games played up to the end of October.

Opening the Borders

Some welcome news for those in both Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders last week with the announcement that their regions are being moved down to Tier 1 restrictions.

Especially welcome for those keen to get to a game as it means spectators will be allowed at the likes of Annan Athletic, Queen of the South and Gretna, albeit in limited numbers

Further down the pyramid it also opens up a number of potential matches to watch in the South of Scotland League.

But what the tiers give they can also take away. Highland clubs in the Aberdeenshire area had been hopeful of allowing supporters in once they moved from Tier 2 to 1 but the area has now been hit with a further tightening of restrictions.

The picture south of the border is also mixed.

Late last week brought the news that supporters could attend games in Tier 3 area in England below ‘elite’ level which means clubs at steps 3-6 of the non-league game can now admit fans in restricted numbers.

Some of those leagues are set to resume this coming weekend although restrictions are still  hitting clubs hard in terms of bars and clubhouses remaining closed and that has driven the decision of other leagues to delay their restarts.

NEW OPPONENTS: @HaverhillRovers will now be the opposition on Saturday in a mid-season friendly at the Denny Bros Stadium, KO 3pm, bar open serving meals and drinks, tea bars and Club Shop also open. Free admission, donations accepted:https://t.co/ppAkYNqDef pic.twitter.com/PTiwveMb5g

— Bury Town FC ⚽️ (@BuryTownFC) December 15, 2020

And the sight of supporters in the stands at some of London’s most famous grounds over the past couple of weeks is likely to have been only a fleeting one as the capital looks set to be moved into Tier 3 restrictions this week.

The wonderful London Football Guide will endeavour to keep abreast of all the options available to those hoping to catch a match over the festive period.

From Cornwall to The Highlands

If not quite Land's End to John o'Groats.

Cornwall and the Highland area of Scotland are two parts of the country that are currently under their respective Tier 1 restrictions which, hopefully, will have a positive impact for the local football scene.

Supporters in England are currently allowed in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas but the higher tier does come with tighter restrictions on the opening of bars, clubhouses and refreshment areas.

For leagues where clubs straddle a number of tiers (with no spectators at all allowed in Tier 3) it makes planning for a potential restart very, very difficult.

An excellent piece in The Non-League Paper at the weekend with interviews across all of the Step5/6 leagues highlighted just how problematic this is, both currently and going forward.

The main league at that level for Cornish clubs, the South West Peninsula League has been able to restart and hopefully supporters will come out in good numbers to their local clubs through the winter months.

FA VASE 2nd ROUND PROPER

This weekend we welcome @FootballBashley all the way from Hampshire.

What a feeling it was to have the football back on Saturday and we’re counting down the days to another historic fixture at Jenkins Park.

See you Saturday!#upthebrook
⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/gViJeau508

— Millbrook AFC (@MillbrookAFC) December 8, 2020

Up in Scotland, the Highland League finally got underway for 2020/21 on the last weekend of November with 11 of the 18 clubs (in the Highland and Moray areas but not Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire) able to admit fans.

Many clubs are starting to embrace cashless payments and online ticket sales and the support of local communities has been invaluable (along with the excellent Donate A Ticket platform) in getting clubs to this point although the cancellation of many of last weekend’s matches served as a reminder that it is not just Covid-19 that will cause disruption over the coming months.

This weekend there is Scottish Cup action before a full, scheduled programme of Highland League fixtures next weekend

All Quiet on the Sheffield Front

The devil is in the detail they say and for football clubs in Tier 3 areas that, sadly, means confirmation of no spectators at matches.

So in Sheffield this weekend, as expected, Sheffield United will host Leicester City on Sunday afternoon behind closed doors.

What has been a twist, given that the previous Tier 3 guidance allowed for supporters to attend games further down the pyramid, is that crowds are not now permitted below National League level.

That means Hallam FC will have to play Saturday’s FA Vase tie at home to AFC Blackpool with the front door to Sandygate firmly locked.

A strange situation in many ways as Hallam, along with hundreds of clubs around the country, had got their Covid-19 protocols firmly in place and were comfortably accommodating 300 spectators prior to the second lockdown.

Frustrating too, especially as those 300 people will be allowed to spend as much time as they like inside the Meadowhall shopping centre on Saturday afternoon.

The FA Vase itself risks becoming something of a farce as clubs are either coming straight into matches this weekend on the back of little or no training or having to make the difficult decision to pull out of the competition altogether, whether for safety reasons given the lack of competitive games or having to travel across tier boundaries or because playing behind closed doors simply isn’t feasible.

But all is not lost locally as matches below the National League System can take place in front of spectators so perhaps a bigger crowd than usual will be making their way here...

WE'RE BACK! And spectators are permitted!

Fixtures for Saturday 5th December -

MEN'S 1st TEAM
⏰ 2pm
🏆 @CountySeniorFL Div 1
🆚 @JfcMain
📍 Tickhill Square, DN12 4AW

MEN'S RESERVE TEAM
⏰ 2pm
🏆 @CountySeniorFL Div 2
🆚 @DevelopmentSPS
📍 @WalesHigh, S26 5QQ
💵 FREE admission pic.twitter.com/Bd0UsJWo7n

— Kiveton Park FC (@KivetonParkFC) December 2, 2020