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Statement by Northern Premier League
Statement: 2019/20 Season
The Northern Premier League would like to update supporters on the current situation. The Northern Premier League has been working alongside its fellow step 3&4 leagues, via the FA Alliance committee, to find a solution for the 2019/20 season that can, ideally, apply across all of the National League System.
The NPL, Isthmian and Southern Leagues are unanimous in wanting to terminate the 2019/20 season immediately. Whether that is done on the basis of determining the final placings via average points per game, or the season is declared null and void cannot be decided until the National League’s intentions are confirmed.
The NPL, Isthmian and Southern Leagues have made the FA aware of their wish to terminate the 2019-20 season, although any such decision has to be ratified by FA council. While this process is on-going, competition issues can then be decided, together with the implications for promotion and relegation. The league, via the Alliance, is lobbying the government, the Premier League and others for additional financial assistance. A recent survey amongst NPL clubs estimated the impact of Covid-19 on those clubs to be over £3.25m
The NPL will continue to provide its member clubs with as much information, support and guidance as possible to assist them during this difficult time.
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Re: Statement by Northern Premier League
So it appears that the NPL want to terminate the season immediately which is probably the most sensible decision.
The next question is then: is the season declared null and void, or if not, how are promotion and relegation issues determined.
If the NPL decided to base promotion and relegation on the current order of points per game (which is a suggested possible outcome) then both Leek and Stamford would be promoted which most people might say was fair.
But is it fair really?
Neither Leek or Stamford could have been sure of clinching the one automatic promotion spot and any one of four teams could have won promotion through the playoffs.
To promote the teams who looked most likely to get promotion isn’t fair on the other teams who could have finished in the playoffs. Playoff winners are often not the highest placed playoff team.
For this reason I think that the season should be declared null and void.
Yes, it’s unfortunate for Leek and Stamford, but in my opinion, it would be wrong to change the promotion rules which were in place at the start of the season.
Last edited by Matchman (25/3/2020 8:45 AM)
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Thread Starter- Matchman
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Re: Statement by Northern Premier League
Non-league football: National League asks Football Association to close season
The National League has asked the Football Association to close the rest of the non-league season. All divisions are currently suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak. And a video conference call on Tuesday saw the National League board urged to end the season “as soon as possible for the purposes of player contracts”. However, Barrow manager Ian Evatt believes if no further games are possible, then the current league positions should be allowed to stand. "If you were to play a 90-minute football match and something was to happen in the last 15 minutes of a game, the result would stand if it was abandoned. So why is it not the same for a full season?" he said. Evatt's side are four points clear at the top of the National League table and on course to return to the English Football League for the first time since the 1970s.
The Football Association said on Tuesday that no official decision has been made regarding the end of the 2019-20 campaign. But in a statement issued to all member clubs and released by fifth-placed Boreham Wood, National League chief executive Michael Tattersall said: “The broad consensus was that our clubs wish for a decision to be made to close the season as soon as possible. “The FA have been asked to assist us with making the decisions to officially postpone all remaining National League fixtures and to end the season as soon as possible for the purposes of player contracts. “The National League is also working with the FA to define all reasonable and practical options for the determination of the 2019-20 season, and to provide guidance to clubs on dealing with player contracts, player registrations and the application of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. ”Evatt, however, said that cancelling the season would be unfair and could put his club's future in jeopardy. "Now if this was halfway through the season or under, you can completely understand voiding a season. But we're talking about, from some clubs' perspective, seven games. Seven games away from completing the season. "You cannot, you cannot, null and void it," he said. "We've been top for five months and no-one, no disrespect to anyone, has really come that close to us. "From our perspective, the interest of fairness would be for us to be promoted and that is my view regardless of where I am right now because of how many games have been played and where we're at in the season. "But Dagenham managing director Steve Thompson said the cancellation of the National League season would help clubs survive. "What this measure does is help clubs preserve and consolidate their own clubs to ensure everybody can get through this," he said. "That is why clubs wanted the season to end so they can start looking at how they can make certain they are more resilient for the new season when it starts."
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Thread Starter- Matchman
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Re: Statement by Northern Premier League
Understandably teams in promotion positions in all leagues are not going to want the season declared null and void. They want to be promoted with the benefits that come with promotion and they will think it only fair. It's a really difficult call for the FA to make. If it is decided that promotions and relegations are to take place then there is no way it can be done in a without some clubs feeling aggrieved. Whatever criteria is used to determine final placings there will be flaws. Average points per game has been suggested but that only takes into account matches already played and doesn't take into account matches not played. One promotion chasing team may have a particularly difficult run of final matches from which they wouldn't expect to take the same points as what they have achieved on average before that. Another promotion chasing team may have a relatively easy run of final matches from which they might have expected to get maximum points.
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Thread Starter- Alex
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Re: Statement by Northern Premier League
The next question is. Is there going to move the leagues around like they promised?
- WhiteBallProject
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Re: Statement by Northern Premier League
I think that has been deferred to 2021-22
- Matchman
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Re: Statement by Northern Premier League
The NPL Show Podcast has an interesting debate on how the season should finish ie null and void or some way of deciding promotion and relegation. A lot of Clubs have signed a letter to the league asking for the current null and void scenario to be changed, (mainly the clubs in promotion positions). Apparently the FA still have to ratify the NPL's decision and even if they do Clubs can still challenge the decision using various legal mechanisms. There appears to be some way to go yet before there is any definite decision.
click on the blue "NPL Show : 4th April " immediately below the image then click on "Listen here"
PODCASTSNPL Show : 4th April[color=#999999 !important] about 13 hours agoBy James Heyes[/color]
Last edited by Matchman (04/4/2020 10:41 PM)
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