A joint statement has been released by 16 National North and South Clubs.
"Firstly we wish to acknowledge the decisiveness in which the National League dealt with our concerns by supporting our request for the immediate suspension of our competitions on January 22nd.
We have this evening received a letter from Nigel Huddleston MP inviting us to a webinar tomorrow which will allow Sport England to set out the criteria for loans and grants (the latter of which is available only for those with no ability to repay loans).
Loans are merely an extension to our life support and therefore foolhardy.
We have yet to receive any assurance as to how we may mitigate against our inability to test our employees and volunteers for COVID or against the government's insistence that we trade whilst insolvent.
With no apparent end in sight, this excruciating pandemic has us all facing imbalances of varying degrees.
All of this is adding to additional stress and uncertainty that could and should have been avoidable.
Having since been ordered to re-schedule our postponed games in accordance with National League rules we must now reiterate our stance.
Without adequate and fair funding towards COVID testing and to offset against the loss of income we are unable to uphold the integrity of the football pyramid and insist that the season is curtailed no later than Friday February 5th to allow all clubs to be assessed for grants.
AFC Telford, Alfreton Town, Bradford PA, Concord Rangers, Curzon Ashton, Chippenham Town, Darlington, Dulwich & Hamlet, Farsley Celtic, Gateshead, Guiseley, Hereford, Kettering Town, Slough Town, Southport, Spennymoor.
