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Next Game: Rushall At Home In The League On Saturday 30th November At 3.00pm

Saturday, September 26, 2020

No Aid No Season Says Bradford PA's Knight

National North outfit Braford Park Avenue are one of those clubs who have said that without a financial package to see them through the season they won't survive.

Their director of football Martin Knight has also said that he doesn't think any package will be in place before the season is due to start in early October

"There are lots of things that you lose as a part-time team, as well as gate receipts," he said as reported by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus.

"You lose the bar, café, club shop and raffle. Every club at our level does exactly the same thing. They are not small amounts of money when you add them up.

"If, there is no financial package, there will not be a season. 18 clubs just can not afford to do it.

"The other option is we start in January, get a half season in and only play each team once with fans because maybe a vaccine arrives.

"I do not think the money will come through by next Monday, so I do not think we will kick off on October 5.

"Either, the money comes through or we will be reclassified as grassroots." 

Knight also talks about the 'elite' status of the National North League which he feels wasn't what clubs wanted.

"There was no vote given to the clubs in our league to say if we wanted to be classified as elite.

"We voted to say whether we wanted playoffs or promotion. It looks like we flipped and flopped between elite and grassroots, but we were never asked that.

"They chose to do the playoffs and the only way they could do that was to say that we are elite. We were not asked for approval, that decision makes us look silly.

"Teams like Scarborough, Buxton and South Shields in the league below get way bigger crowds than we do.

"They can get 600 fans in and we can not have anyone in."