When the Vanarama National League voted to conclude the 2019/20 season in June, little did they realise they’d be voting to play behind closed doors, potentially until next year. Whilst the rest of the non-league pyramid has seen the return of supporters from late August, National League sides have been prohibited from seeing fans return due to the ‘elite’ status they requested from Government that enabled them to undertake play off matches in July.

Whilst many in the non-league game held up the National League as paragons of consultational virtue, for allowing Clubs to vote on the future of last season, those urging caution now appear to have had their fears realised. Back in April, Yeovil Town chairman Scott Priestnall criticised the National League, saying:

“I don’t think the situation has been thought through properly in terms of we don’t know what we’re voting on. It’s not as simple as to whether we continue the season or not. If we vote to potentially end the season, we don’t know what the ramifications of that might be.”

At the time, Yeovil fans would have shared their Chairman’s concerns that it wasn’t clear whether ending the season would result in promotion, relegation or play-offs, which the Glovers were ultimately involved in. However, the ‘ramifications’ Mr Preistnall refers to, have put National League Clubs at Steps 1 and 2 of the non-league pyramid in the same boat as the professional Leagues, where fans could be kept out of grounds for the next six months.

At the start of the pandemic the Football Association indicated that it wanted a ‘cohesive’ approach to concluding the non-league season. However, this illusion soon evaporated as it became clear the National League were intent on doing their own thing. By March 26th the FA had ended the 2019/20 season for Steps 3 to 6 with immediate effect, a decision criticised by many in the game, including Mr Preistnall. 83 days later the National League would agree to conclude their season with final league tables compiled on an “Unweighted Points Per Game” basis.

Fast forward to August 18th and the success of the #LetFansIn campaign forced the Government into an embarrassing climb down, when they revealed that supporters were entitled to watch football from Step 3 (the Southern League) and below. The distinction between this level of football and the National League was justified by Government on the grounds of its ‘elite’ status. Yet, the significance of what was originally seen as a bureaucratic inconvenience was not fully appreciated until September 22nd, when a number of sports governing bodies, including those from football, rugby, cricket, Formula 1 and horse racing, were told by the Government to prepare for no spectators throughout the winter, scuppering plans for a phased return in October.

The fact that social media was alight with calls for the removal of the National League’s ‘elite’ status, is clear evidence that football clubs and fans should be careful what they wish for. Had the FA had its way and all levels of the National League System been declared void, National League Clubs would have benefited from at least the limited return of fans, albeit the likes of Weymouth, Wealdstone, Barrow and Harrogate would have lost out on promotion. Yet, with the benefit of hindsight, would the class of 2019/20 have voted for a different outcome? Would the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few?

Whilst the case for the National League to remain in step with the rest of the non-league pyramid now seems a far more compelling one than it did in June, there remains one factor that could well play into the hands of the National League. As an ‘elite’ league, shouldn’t the National League benefit from the same financial support package as the English Football League and the Championship?

Whilst the Premier League might not welcome another begging bowl at its financial table, the Government would certainly appreciate the opportunity for a financial bailout to come from someone other than the Exchequer. Where this leaves the rest of the non-league pyramid is unclear. As negotiations for the financial support of the ‘elite’ levels of the game continue, the Government and Football Association will inevitably be looked to as the banker of last resort for the lower levels of the game.

Whilst some non-league Clubs may have the capacity to go into suspended animation for an indefinite period of time, others will not. Like the rest of society, football will inevitably need to address the thorny issue of how much collateral damage it is willing to sustain in order to restart when this current crisis is finally over. When football does emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic it still has pressing questions to answer about its administration and accountability. Short term populism has its benefits, but in the longer term, football clearly needs to be careful what it wishes for. Marcus Brody