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Dulwich Hamlet along with DHST confirm that they will now "cease activities" until it's right to resume. Following in the footsteps of other Step 2 clubs who were due to start playing again this weekend following the brief NL N&S suspension. https://twitter.com/DulwichHamletFC/status/1357692046107107331
The fact that clubs are having to unilaterally stop playing like this, (because they've got no gate income, no government grants, uncertainty about loans etc), points to a massive administrative and political failure, the fault of which is ultimately the National League's.
It's almost been a whole year of bad decisions that have led up to this point, but to finally have a situation where clubs are refusing to play (or just playing their kids), and the league are waving possible sanctions at them, shows how broken it all is.
I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen for the second half of this season, what's going to happen to the clubs who stop playing, and who's still going to be in the National League next year. But it should never ever have come to this.
National League in absolute chaos this weekend with some teams refusing to play and the NL powerless to make them. Story by @PJBuckingham here: https://theathletic.com/2370130/2021/02/06/national-league-nastier-self-interest/?source=emp_shared_article
Yesterday clubs were sent the links by Sport England to apply for their winter survival loan. But they're not confident. They've been told the £ will be capped like the furlough scheme (£2100 per employee per month). And that it assumed things would be back to normal 'by April'.
And the votes on what to do next are a shambles. Resolution One gives NL S&N teams the right to self determination if they pass it. But I'm told a number of promotion-chasing NLS teams are refusing to vote so that the resolution won't pass. (It needs 75% to pass)
Basically, some clubs are turning down the offer of self determination for Step Two because they're scared the other Step Two clubs would vote null and void. They want to stick with the voting system weighted against them so they can keep playing.
And that represents the complete collapse of the political process. It's why some clubs are having to ignore the politics and take it into their own hands by refusing to play. The NL can threaten sanctions, but the fact they're having to do that is proof their authority is gone.
