FA Cup kick-off in doubt ahead of new sporting lockdown

From Thursday, England will go into another lockdown until December 2 but unlike in the spring, “elite” sport will be allowed to continue.

The definition of elite-level football goes from the Premier League to non-league’s Conference North and South.

But this week’s FA Cup first-round features teams who play below that standard, and Harrogate Town and Doncaster Rovers are due to play televised matches against sides from outside the top six tiers.

North West Counties League side Skelmersdale United are due in Harrogate on Friday, and Rovers are supposed to be at Northern Premier League side FC United of Manchester the next day. Bradford City’s game away to Kent-based Conference South side Tonbridge Angels has also been earmarked for live coverage.

Last night the clubs were seeking clarity from the Football Association, who in turn were trying to learn more from the Government.

FA Cup prize money has been cut this season in light of the pandemic but teams playing in televised games receive £32,500 each and there is a further £22,629 available to the winners.

Hull City also join at the first-round stage, and are due to host fellow League One side Fleetwood Town.

The second round is scheduled to be played on the final weekend of November. Delaying the start of the competition until after the lockdown is lifted would cause fixture chaos. Those teams competing in European competition, who join the FA Cup at January’s third round, already have virtually no room for manoeuvre in their fixture lists with the season condensed into a shorter timeframe because of the knock-on effects of the last lockdown. With a European Championships scheduled for the summer, there is little scope to extend it.

Doncaster chief executive Gavin Baldwin has written to supporters to say they are looking into plans to secure their short-term future. Only last week he wrote to them saying that still being able to open the club shop, run car boot sales and hire out astroturf pitches at the Keepmoat Stadium was helping them to get through the loss of gate revenue, but now these are no longer possible.

“Plans are currently being developed and new business support schemes investigated to see how we can use these to secure the short-term future of the club, I am confident the work already undertaken will help protect the club in the short term,” he wrote.

“We hope that this work will therefore provide yet more time for the relevant parties to now step up and secure the future of professional football through an appropriate rescue package. Our owners have always been and continue to be hugely supportive, but the remits we are being asked to work under and the obstacles we are being set go beyond owner support.”

Shortly after the lockdown was announced the Football League (EFL) confirmed: “EFL competitions will remain as currently scheduled (in both England and Wales),” adding: “Professional football has implemented some of the most stringent, robust and regularly reviewed protocols since the restart in June 2020.”

At present, though, League One and Two players and coaches are not required to undergo the weekly Covid-19 tests compulsory in the Premier League, as the cost is borne by the clubs.

Whilst the Championship completed its 2019-20 season after the first lockdown, Leagues One and Two did not because without supporters not enough felt it was financially viable. The same was true in the National League.

They did, however, start the new season in September in the expectation fans would be allowed to return in limited numbers in October, only for the Government to change its mind.

So lucrative are the Premier League’s television deals there is no prospect of that division not playing when allowed to. International and European club football is also due to be played in November.

At the time of going to press, the National League, whose members include Halifax Town, Bradford Park Avenue, Guiseley and York City were yet to comment.

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