The latest national lockdown, due to formally end on March 29th with the ‘stay at home’ messaging being lifted, brought about the postponement of all grassroots football up and down the country.
In what has undoubtedly been an extremely difficult time for everyone, the absence of amateur football might not have entered the minds of most, however, for those it means so much to – there’s been a palpable hunger for its return.
As per the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, March 29th sees the reopening of outdoor sports facilities and thus the long-awaited return of organised outdoor football. Nevertheless, many restrictions remain in place and all clubs must follow the Football Association’s guidance.
This includes a ban on spectators at games, no changing facilities with limited access to toilets available and no hospitality. We can expect such restrictions to be gradually eased in ‘Step 2’, occurring no earlier than April 12th.
This begs the question: what does this all mean for AFC Ely? What about their league campaign? Will they return to competitive action?
On March 8th it was unanimously agreed by all clubs that the 2020-21 Cambridgeshire County League season be declared null and void – following in similar vein to the 2019-20 campaign. With plenty of time left in the footballing calendar it was announced an alternative cup competition would fill the void left by the league’s null and void status, allowing for some form of closure on the 2020-21 season.
Introducing the Kershaw 30 Year Junior Cup. Described in a league statement as a ‘Champions League style cup competition,’ the tournament will pit teams across the Cambridgeshire County Leagues and will comprise of sixty teams across ten groups, with the group winners and the six best runners-up progressing to the knockout stages.
With a start date of April 10th, participating teams, including AFC Ely, have a small preparation window to train and compete in friendly fixtures before competitive action returns in the Junior Cup.
AFC Ely resume training on Wednesday 31st March and take on Fen Tigers Engineers in friendly action on Saturday 3rd April at the Paradise – with kick off at 2:00pm.
Press release from AFC Ely
Written by Oliver Jennings oliverjennings98@outlook.com
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