COVID 19 – 2020 / 21 Season

Firstly on behalf of the whole club, we hope you and all your family and friends have remained safe and well over the last few months.

All being well, the slightly delayed 2020/21 football season will get underway next weekend (19/20 September 2020) although as always this is subject to direction from the league and the various councils involved with the West Riding FA. As we all know, what we can and cannot do can change on a daily basis but what we do know for definite is that COVID 19 is going to be with us for some time and as such we as a club have to put steps in place to ensure the new season (matches and training) gets under way as safely as we can possibly make it. To do that, the club need your support in adhering to the following steps we have and continue to put in place to keep you safe.

We fully appreciate people may not be happy with some of the steps but we really have no choice. Failure to do so could result in fines (both for individuals and the club), further proceedings against the club and the potential of being thrown out of the league.

The measures set out below are not ones that we have come up with ourselves but have been passed down by the FA, League and Kirklees Council.

PITCHES AT ROYDS HALL OFF DOUGLAS AVENUE:

• Enter the pitches via the entrance at the end of Douglas Avenue (by the playground)

• Leave the pitches via the snicket at the top of the field this ensures a one-way system can be maintained.

• Ensure all players bring their own drink

• The request from the FA is that we have no spectators present at games, if this is possible then please do so however we appreciate that, for the younger age groups especially, this simply isn’t realistic. We currently have a limit imposed by Kirklees of groups of no more than 30 and that includes players, coaches and match officials, adults watching will inevitably take us over the magic 30 number, if we do that we need to be certain we are doing everything we can to minimise the risks of spreading COVID 19.

So if you do need to attend:

1) Ensure that only 1 adult per player is present at the game.

2) Those in attendance need to be behind the respect barriers set out by the coaches (these will be significantly further away from the player area than you’re used to).

3) Coaches have been asked to place cones out at least 2m apart behind the respect barrier to ensure social distancing is maintained and each adult must remain next to a cone throughout).

• Once a match is finished players will be released in a controlled manner, all present are to leave the field immediately via the exit point without congregating.

• The sale of teas, coffees, sweets etc… at the pitch side is prohibited for the foreseeable future.

9v9 PITCH OFF LUCK LANE

• Do to the close proximity to the pitch, adults will be requested to remain in their cars throughout the match.

• Again if this is not possible the same social distancing as set out above need to be adhered to.

As many of you have been with the club for a number of years, you will know we frequently have matches running one after the other and there is a cross-over of players, coaches and parents. To avoid this your coach will let you know kick off times as usual but will also let you at what time you can arrive on the pitches. Please do not enter the fields before that time.

To ensure we manage the times correctly its more important than ever that all players arrive on time to start matches on time because the knock on effect of a delayed kick off is for other matches not just your own.

I know that what we are asking is a massive inconvenience and all everyone wants to do is to come and support their children, teams and club as whole in the same way you have for many years and we really do massively appreciate the support. This is why we know we can count you all to adhere to the rules set out and support your coaches in keeping everyone safe. The reality is that failure to do so could have wide reaching consequences for the club and our ability to keep all the kids playing the sport they all love.

Obviously we will have as many away matches as home matches so again we all have the responsibility to adhere to the rules set down by the club we’re playing. Will they be exactly the same as ours? Absolutely not, I have no doubt that some will be stricter and at others it will just be like the good old days, but please follow them as advised by your coach.

Should you have any specific concerns or worries then please speak to your coach in the first instance (but remember they are merely implementing the rules forced upon us, it’s not their fault) or failing that you can contact me via email: secretary@linthwaitefootballclub.co.uk.

I’m sure we’re all looking forward to getting back playing league matches and seeing all our players develop over the season, and helping us with the above will hopefully help get all matches on and played week in and weeks out.

Thanks again for all your support, we never take it for granted.

Kind Regards

Dave Ramsey

Linthwaite Football Club Secretary.

Following the latest government and FA guidance with regards to COVID-19 we will discuss the possibility of returning to training at our club AGM later this month. 

The current stance from the HDJFL is as follows:

“The Huddersfield Junior Football League advises that no coach or manager engages with any coaching or training at this point in time, we do not support any team or club that endorses this. Whilst we cannot enforce this, the League feels that the Welfare and Safety of the players and their families is more important than a training session”.

So as it stands, no training will take place until after the AGM at the earliest and further updates will be provided in due course. As much as we’d all love to get back to some normality and for us to enjoy getting back to football, the safety of the our coaches, the children and their families is paramount. As soon as it is possible, we will be back

Quite rightly the focus is on staying safe and adhering to Government social isolation guidelines. We are aware though that clubs, leagues and volunteers are looking for the most up-to-date information on the current and future impact on grassroots football as a result of the pandemic.

When will Football start again?

We wish we knew! The situation regarding Covid-19 is incredibly fluid and it is impossible to say at this stage when and how football will be back. Like you we are already desperate for it to return!

Is there a chance that next season may not be able to start on time?

We hope that things will be back to normal next season, but it certainly remains a definite possibility that there may be a delay. The government will determine when and how the current restrictions that are in place are lifted and only once it is safe to do so will The FA permit grassroots football to start again.

As this season has been concluded, does that mean that as a player I can now sign for another club for next season?

No. As it stands there has been no change to the Rules regarding player registrations so players cannot sign for next season yet. Players are free to join new teams from the 31st May as per a normal season.

Are we able to train as a team?

No. The suspension also applies to training. If a team were to organise a training session this would contravene the Government’s current advice and you would not be covered by the Club’s Public Liability and Personal Accident insurance.

Can we play friendlies?

No. There is no difference between playing a friendly and playing a league or cup match. You cannot play any football whilst the suspension is in place. It is important to understand that if you were to play a friendly, you would not be covered by the Public Liability and Personal Accident insurance.

What about small-sided football?

Yes, all affiliated football is currently suspended for the foreseeable future so that covers every format of the game.

Summer Tournaments

As it stands, no Club can run a summer tournament due to the current suspension. We do, of course, recognise that these events are important fundraisers for Clubs but at the present time the suspension does prevent these from taking place.

Funding and Club membership advice

How will my club pay its bills?

We do recognise that this is a significant worry for many clubs and County FA’s are currently discussing the financial implications of the suspension with The FA who in turn are talking to the Government. At this stage it is simply too soon to give any further information about any support that may be available, although the Treasury have issued the following:

• Grant funding of £25,000 is available for hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.

• A 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England will be introduced.

For further support, please visit the Government’s support for businesses page or contact your local authority which will be issued with guidance to help businesses in their area.

Is there any funding for clubs during this time?

Sport England have released an emergency fund in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Local clubs, leagues and community sports organisations who are experiencing short-term financial hardship due to the impact of Covid-19 are eligible to apply to Sport England’s new Community Emergency Fund. We encourage all our affiliated clubs and sanctioned leagues to consider applying if emergency money is needed.

Can clubs still charge subscriptions while all football is postponed?

This is a club decision. We would advise that you consult with players, parents and guardians on reaching a decision. Clubs who own / lease facilities will still have bills to pay and this should be explained. However, clubs should be mindful of people who are currently out of work as result of COVID-19 or have had their working hours reduced and may struggle to make payments. Could you: –

• offer payment holidays for those in need?

• allow subscriptions to be paid in instalments?

Please see the following release from the Huddersfield Junior Football League (HJFL) with regards to the announcement made earlier about grassroots football and where we as a club stand. We will follow all guidelines as set out below:

“As promised here is the League response to the ongoing situation.

As you are all aware The FA and WRCFA issued a statement in which they advised all Leagues to suspend Football with immediate effect. HJFL will be adhering to this guidance and in this instance have taken the decision to postpone ALL football until further notice, this includes training.

All decisions with regards to Cup and Trophy competitions will be relayed to clubs and teams as soon as we know how long the suspension will last.

We appreciate that some of you may be disappointed with this news, but these are unprecedented times.”

We are holding our annual Christmas party for all children involved within mini soccer will therefore cover all children from tots to under 11’s. This will be held on Sunday 15th December 2019 at the Broad Oak Bowling Club starting at 2pm 

As per last year we will have a DJ to provide some musical entertainment as well as some games. Santa’s helpers will be selling hot dogs and chips on the day as well as a sweet shop and providing he doesn’t get stuck on the Lapland 62, the big man himself will hopefully be popping in to make an appearance too. We estimate this to be around 3pm.

As a slight change to previous years, we hope to get the kids who are coming to spend some time in the kitchen with parents and make some Christmas/football themed cakes/buns/cookies. The end products will then be judged, and the winning child will win a prize. The club will then sell off the remainder by the slice or as full cakes with the proceeds going back to the club for the children.

Finally, we are looking at adding some raffle prizes for the day to go in a hamper that we are going to auction off so if you have anything you’d like to donate, please do let us know? We will also be running a football card to so plenty of prizes to be won!

The club have released the follwing update with regards to the upcoming season:

Unfortunately, the time has come after 2 years of keeping our subs capped at £100 we now find that we are no longer able to keep these in place for the coming season and will have to increase these to £120 as the current price is simply unsustainable to keep the club going. The club’s costs have continued to increase in most areas over the last couple of years but the main reason why we must increase subs is due to no longer being able to play at Royds Hall and having to relocate to Salendine Nook High School (3 minutes up the road from Royds) to continue the fulfilment of our home games as per league rules.

This decision has been totally out of our hands and despite our best efforts to continue to keep this as

our ‘home’, this will unfortunately not be possible going forward. As you will see from the information detailed below we have previously paid £1,980 (Royds Hall and Paddock CC) for pitch hire last season for the pitches to train and play matches on. This has now increased to between £6,565 and £8,125 (depending on the rate we can agree for mid-week training). We hopethat the full costs breakdown will make it clear as to why the increasing of the fees has been made and

is not something the committee has taken lightly. We have tried exploring every avenue to keep the costs low but it simply cannot be done despite our best efforts.

Factored into the income stream for 2019 – 2020 season is:

   Grow the game bursary: £1,200

   Presentation Day Raffle: £2,000

   In-season Fundraising: £2,000

Note: the actual income will be lower than stated due to reduced subs for siblings in line with previous seasons.

As you can appreciate, there is a significant difference between ‘best’ and ‘worst’ scenarios but as a club we must balance planning for a worst-case scenario whilst keeping costs to parents as low as possible.

Another large factor in our decision has been a lack of club sponsor for the forthcoming season which

has helped us in the past in keeping our costs down but as you can imagine this is another sum of

money that we haven’t needed to find over the last 3 years. We would like to place on record that we

appreciate the sponsorship from Drivers Plus and will now be looking to somebody else to help support the club and the children for the future. If you know of anybody who may be interested in doing this or would like to have a chat about what we can offer in return, please contact the club as we would love to hear from you! Drop us an email via admin@lithwaitefootballclub.co.uk .

As a club it’s always prudent to have a contingency fund in case of unexpected expenses, for example

we spent £1,800 on 2 defibrillators last season and in the best-case scenario we would still retain this.

I hope everyone can understand why we’ve had to increase the subs and please be assured it is not

something we’ve done lightly, I hope we can all count on your ongoing support for the coming season and for many years to come.

If you have any further questions please speak with your age group coach in the first instance, but if

they can’t answer your questions then please e-mail secretary@linthwaitefootballclub.co.uk

On behalf of the clubs committee, coaches and players I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support.

Regards,

Dave Ramsey

Linthwaite Football Club Secretary