Political Football?

As the continuation, or otherwise, of the National League season remains uncertain, representatives of a number of member clubs had a meeting with the leader of the opposition last week.

Yesterday, @Alison_McGovern and I met with National League football teams.

Labour is clear: no community should lose a much-loved football club because of Covid.https://t.co/d91PahZkxa

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 29, 2021

Ignoring the inevitable comments below the tweet, this is quite a heavyweight audience for the National League clubs to make their feelings known to.

Whether we like it or not, the future of the game at almost every level below the Premier League is now tied up, in one way another, with the decisions of politicians.

From what kind of financial support is available, to how soon spectators are allowed back into grounds, football is just one competing voice amongst many in the fields of sport, leisure and entertainment with all of them keen to have their voice heard.

I'm a Labour man myself (together with being a lifelong Coventry City fan it means I'm comfortable with defeat and wary of raised expectations) but MP's from all parties have been vocal in support of their local clubs over the past ten months and the more people banging the drum, the better.