Coronavirus battle: FA hosting crisis meeting by video with leagues

Non-League clubs and fans should have a clearer idea about the fate of the season within days and possibly hours with the Football Association holding a ‘remote’ coronavirus crisis meeting with Step 5 and 6 leagues this afternoon.
After meeting with senior officials from the National League on Monday to discuss the ultimate fate of the suspended 2019/20 season, the governing body is staging a Webex meeting to consult with competitions from around the country on the fall-out from the global pandemic.
The National League and the Northern Premier League called fixtures off on 16 March after controversially playing on for an additional weekend after the Premier League, English Football League and much of Non-League had suspended their campaigns days earlier.
The decisions taken by the professional game are likely to restrict the options open to Non-League’s top tiers thanks to the National League’s promotion slots to the EFL and knock-on effects down the National League System’s pyramid structure.

The league has been asked to participate in a Webex meeting on Tuesday 24th March with all the Step 5/6 leagues and the FA. They have asked for our position as regards the current season and we have forwarded them the response below. pic.twitter.com/HJmROHfMgX

— Toolstation League (@TSWesternLeague) March 23, 2020

This week’s urgent meetings are being held after The Non-League Paper delivered a desperate plea on behalf of clubs to the government and Premier League for a cash lifeline to save them from the escalating coronavirus crisis.
Sunday’s NLP united diverse voices from across the game with administrators, chairman, players, fans and big names like Sam Allardyce all defending clubs as community assets that must be shielded from the financial chaos being created by the global pandemic.
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper on a Sunday for the latest news from across Non-League over the last seven days on the growing impact of the coronavirus on the game and society.

Image courtesy of The Non-League Paper