National League season should stop, says Hemel vice-chairman

Hemel Hempstead Town vice-chairman Kerry Underwood believes the National League season should be halted with the news that government funding for the next three months will come in loan form.

Clubs across the three National League divisions were handed a £14m bailout from the government in the form of grants in order to start the current season last year.

They were handed portions of that funding in order to get them through October, November and December with matches being played behind closed doors.

However, with further grants being expected for the next three month it now seems the situation has changed after the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport reportedly informed the National League that £11m made available from the government’s Sport Winter Survival Package will arrive as loans.

The news has caused uproar amongst National League, North and South teams and it’s no different at Vauxhall Road.

The Tudors’ vice-chairman Underwood said: “It makes no financial sense. It should either be a grant or nothing in my view.

“Once a football match has been played, it’s like an airline, there’s nothing more dead than an empty seat in an airline. So, if clubs are going to continue to play and pay the expenses, salaries and costs then they need money and not a loan.

“I can perfectly understand the argument that there are better things to spend money on, I respect that. But you can’t then expect clubs to continue playing in my view.

“Loans have to be paid back and non-League football generally is pretty much hand to mouth most of the time.

“It’s the worst of both worlds in the sense that if the money simply isn’t there then you can’t pay the players and referees and the danger of a loan is that it’s there and you spend the money.

“But for most clubs there’s no way you can get half a season’s lost revenue back and repay a loan.

“I accept we were thrust into a new world last March but I said then that we should look to play the rest of that season during this season.

“The worst of both worlds is that things go along for a few more weeks and then the season is scrapped.

“Steps 3 to 6 look like they are going to go and I would stop the National League now and just make the best of a bad job and really put the effort into making next season a fantastic one.”

Clubs are expected to hold meetings with the National League Board to discuss the situation further tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.