Hereford FC manager Josh Gowling has a new column in the Guardian this morning.
In it he says there would be chaos if non-league football was shut down because of the latest rise in Covid cases.
'Have the National League made a plan for what happens if the campaign gets cut short or games move behind closed doors?'
He also mentions how tight his budget is at Hereford.
'Our finances have been decimated and it has had devastating ramifications for the budget I work from. We are pushing to make the play-offs but our fans will be disappointed if they expect new signings in January: it is more likely I will have to trim the squad.'
Back to Covid and Gowling says it's difficult to keep up with the rules.
'When we played at Boston in October, one of our players tested positive and had travelled there with four others, but we were told to carry on and play. Now the stipulation at our level is that a game will be postponed if three of the squad record positive PCR tests.'
Hereford have three fixtures over the Xmas period and Gowling hopes they will go ahead.
'I have sat down with our players and reminded them not to come in for training if they have any symptoms or feel remotely ill. Two of them didn’t attend on Thursday because they felt unwell, although it turned out they did not have Covid.'
Whilst most players have been vaccinated, there is no requirement for them to be.
'The league sent round an advisory that everyone should be vaccinated and asked the players to say what their status was. Again, I don’t believe in holding a gun to their heads and expect them to take responsibility for themselves.'
Gowling hopes the League will help out if fixtures are postponed because of Covid.
'If football cannot continue for any length of time, thousands of players will risk going without work and being unable to pay mortgages or household bills. The authorities have a duty of care to ensure there is a plan that can swiftly be implemented.
Read the article at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/dec/20/non-league-football-needs-a-plan-in-case-it-gets-shut-down-i-hope-there-is-one