We all love a good whinge. Whether it’s about lighting the Wembley arch, stiff penalties for clubs who stick two fingers up to financial regulations, or games being called off at the last minute.
What do we all do in the close season? Some eagerly await new signings, complain when the fixtures aren’t out at the same time as the Premier League (“Workington away on a Tuesday, AGAIN!”) and daydream about winning the League by Christmas.
It used to be called the AGM Cup. Others have dubbed it Maps and Darts. The club allocations for next season have been out for ten days and social media is awash with puzzlement and indignation-as usual.
Some say, why do we need all this regulation in football. It’s just a game, isn’t it? If you’re one of those people, eBay will sell you some replacement marbles.
THE cost of living crisis is on the minds of all but the wealthiest citizens. But what will the impact of soaring costs be on clubs, the Non-League game and fans actually be?
Allocations (AKA The AGM Cup) are a perennial feature of the Non-League calendar. It’s that time when everyone becomes an expert on the road network (“if you take the B374 after Nether Whopping it’ll save 20 minutes”) and conspiracy theories abound.
ONE word sums up life right now – uncertainty. With Kuenssberg, Peston and co fuelling mass hysteria, and scientists’ predictions erring on the Doomsday side of gloomy, its little wonder that Non-League fans are worried that a third consecutive season may not be completed.
Amidst all the mis-guided optimism around the Crouch Review, the biggest challenge facing Non-League football barely warranted a mention. Namely the reliance of NLS clubs on volunteers to perform every task bar playing and management, up to and including the boardroom.
If, as seems likely, Article 48 remains in place, clubs must either bring forward or put back Saturday kick-off times (NPL clubs can do so by agreement with the visiting team and league).
An alarming number of pre-season games have been called off, mainly due to players and volunteers having to self-isolate after being pinged by NHS Track and Trace.
Does football need an independent regulator? That’s one of the questions being pondered by the Independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, led by former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch MP.