Harrogate Town confident they can switch pitches if promoted to EFL

Harrogate Town do not foresee any issues with their pitch preventing them from securing a place in the Football League (EFL).
Harrogate Town's CNG Stadium. Picture: PAHarrogate Town's CNG Stadium. Picture: PA
Harrogate Town's CNG Stadium. Picture: PA

Second in the National League standings when 2019/20 was abandoned due to the coronavirus crisis, Simon Weaver’s team still harbour hopes of playing their football in England’s fourth tier next term.

The Wetherby Road outfit should have a better idea of where they stand in the next 48 hours, with EFL clubs due to meet today to vote on how to conclude the Championship, League One and League Two seasons.

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At this stage, it is expected that two National League clubs will be promoted into League Two for 2020/21, whether it be by holding play-offs or deciding the final league standings on a points-per-game basis. Should Harrogate win the play-offs or end up being deemed ‘runners-up’, then they would not currently be able to go up due to the playing surface at their CNG Stadium base being artificial.

The club would have to revert to a grass pitch, something that they are ready and waiting to do should the need arise, but the clock is ticking.

With the National League waiting on the EFL to act before it decides how to determine its own issues of promotion and relegation, it could conceivably be approaching mid-June by the time Town have confirmation that they do indeed need to replace their 3G surface.

Boss Weaver is, however, insisting that there is no cause for panic at this stage.

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“We are hoping for some communication from the National League and/or the Football League very soon,” he said.

“For the time being, we’re keeping it [the 3G], because we wouldn’t want to be excluded from playing in the play-offs, if they take place, because we’ve ripped our pitch up.

“That would be our worst nightmare, to have done so well this season, then spent all this time waiting, to find out the play-offs are going ahead but we can’t participate.

“At the same time, we are wary of getting to a stage where the EFL can turn around and say that the time for us re-laying a grass pitch has passed.

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“Our position is that we are ready and prepared to do whatever it takes with the pitch, we just need that communication.”

Meanwhile, work is progressing on Town’s new Family Stand, an 880-seat structure that will bring the CNG Stadium in line with EFL ground regulations.

“The stand is really coming on. It’s going to look sensational once finished,” Weaver added.

“We just need the opportunity to be able to fill it.”

The chances of Harrogate, or any other sports team in England being able to fill their grounds any time soon appear extremely unlikely, with behind-closed-doors fixtures the only realistic option while social distancing measures remain in place.

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If the National League play-offs were to take place, they would be played in empty stadiums, but doing so outside the top two divisions of English football would not be feasible long term.

National League chief executive Michael Tattersall last week confirmed that the August 8 scheduled start date for 2020/21 would ‘inevitably need to be reviewed and updated’ because ‘it is assumed that it is not practical and sustainable to commence the new season if matches are to be played behind closed doors.’

With so much uncertainty surrounding what will happen in both the short and medium term, there is plenty up in the air at Harrogate.

Weaver has only been able to make tentative moves in the transfer market, though he feels his team are still in a better position than most at their level, despite not knowing which league they’ll be playing in next season.

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“We’re faced with very different challenges to those we would normally have at this stage of the off-season,” he added.

“You’ve got to be sensible and shrewd. I don’t think many clubs will be looking at signing players because you don’t know when you will next have any revenue. We’ve declared interest with a few of our targets and their agents, but not much more than that.

“The good thing for us is that we only released a few last month and still have 17 lads on the books, so we’d be well set if we got the call to come back for play-offs,” he added.

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