Dev

It's a tough problem for those in positions of responsibility to deal with, that's for sure. I assume that when spectators are allowed back in to watch matches outside the SPFL that there will be social distancing and face coverings involved. Presumably only people who are registered in some way and, therefore, traceable, will be allowed in at first e.g. season ticket holders, club members and officials etc, if needs be. Also the numbers present will be restricted, increasing over time towards normal. From what I can make out there are "hot-spots" dotted around the UK but, in the main, the disease is at a low level at present. Authorities seem to be clamping down rapidly on any flare-ups too. There seem to be issues with some groups of people in society who seem to underestimate the seriousness of the disease not only to themselves but to their friends, families and acquaintances. Some seem to think that they are immune and cannot be a risk to others. I suppose that's human nature for you. There will always be some who will go their own way regardless of the implications for others. In football terms though, with a restricted season, with no room in the calendar for all eligible clubs to be included in the SFA Cup (but space for other less meaningful cup competitions involving SPFL clubs) it may be that leagues at Tier 5 and below, and outside the current pyramid structure, will need to choose between playing postponed matches at a later date or, even, awarding set score-lines if there is no room for postponed matches to be played. Such postponed matches may not just be for Covid reasons! Maybe 1-1 results awarded for weather/pitch reason postponements and 3-0's for Covid reason postponements. Just throwing the thought out there for debate in this quiet season.

Bonnyrigg has posted this:

Bonnyrigg has posted this re Phase Three:

Good News! https://twitter.com/BonnyriggRose/status/1296417618925060098

Good News! https://twitter.com/BonnyriggRose/status/1296417618925060098

Good News! https://twitter.com/BonnyriggRose/status/1296417618925060098

Good News! https://twitter.com/BonnyriggRose/status/1296417618925060098

Good news! https://twitter.com/BonnyriggRose/status/1296417618925060098

Dunbar United aiming to put in their licence application form and fee by the end of August. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1987065764758318&id=186915844773328 Dunbar United F.C. is on Facebook. To connect with Dunbar United F.C., join Facebook today. Join or Log In Dunbar United F.C. is on Facebook. To connect with Dunbar United F.C., join Facebook today. Join or Log In Dunbar United F.C. 13 hrs · DUFC Supporters update. Greetings everyone. We start with a farewell to Ryan Kelly who parts ways with DUFC this week. Many thanks to Ryan for the hours, effort, enthusiasm and commitment he gave to the club. The Club Lottery - The basic life blood of club funds restarted, was drawn and won on Monday evening. Next Monday will see another lottery draw take place at Winterfield Golf Club. It’s not a closed door function - it’s your lottery come and take part if you have a spare hour between 4-5pm. New Countess Park. The Initiative on NCP maintenance by supporters and friends of DUFC continues. Lots of painting/tidying/repairing/weeding and general works have and continue to take place. The covered canopy now looks a lot more respectable and is complete and intact. The next big improvement you will notice is a fence along the car park end of the ground to screen the various containers and storage units that presently sit there. These containers hold equipment for the Hallhill grounds maintenance staff and for the Colts. The Car Park turnstile will soon have to be brought into a useable standard to meet SFA criteria - so we will need help to upgrade and clean out that building. SFA Licence Project: The main stages of the project are : Assessment Application Implementation 1 - Current State Assessment An assessment of the current state versus the relevant sections of SFA LICENCE criteria has taken place - and the although the task is still a challenge - it’s more than achievable. Minor internal building works regarding changing rooms/first aid rooms/ shower facilities are being costed and fundraising activity is underway. Additional areas that are being appraised include the floodlights, disabled spectator access and viewing area, additional toilets an various club documentation and policies, club structure, safety certification and a complete audit trail. 2 - Application Making the initial application to the SFA. This simply initiates the process. Several years can elapse between application and the licence being granted. The club are committed to getting this sent away as soon as they are able to. 3 - Implementation This is the actual physical part of implementing the changes and completing necessary works to achieve the various criteria. WHERE WE ARE JUST NOW :- The initial application only requires 4 simple components which the club is gathering together with haste; A) Club Constitution (copy of) B) Club Accounts for past 3 years C) A very simple letter stating our desire to become a Licence holder within the SFA D) A cheque ( £2K) to pay the SFA lodgement fee. The Steering Group are targeting W/C 24 August to dispatch the application. This will be a major step in the future plans of DUFC. We will update you on the progress next week.

It's a tough situation for any politician, north or south of the border, isn't it? However, if it's OK for pubs in Aberdeen AND elsewhere to be packed out with folk surely the small turn-outs in football below SPFL can be managed, including Scottish Cup ties? Apparently not though!

Looks like it.

News of some progress from south of the Border: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53817206 BBC Sport 18th August, 2020 By Laura Scott Fans will be allowed to attend football in the seventh tier and below, after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events. Clubs in the leagues below National League North and South will be able to open their gates to spectators for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The decision means a distinction has been drawn between the return of fans to recreational sport and elite sport, where pilots are required before an intended expansion from 1 October. It comes after more than 30 MPs wrote to sports minister Nigel Huddleston calling for the "urgent return of fans to non-league clubs". The letter, which was coordinated by former sports minister Tracey Crouch and Dame Cheryl Gillan, warned that clubs "at the heart of our constituencies" could be "lost forever" if an exemption is not granted. BBC Sport can reveal that the government's return to recreational team sport framework was updated on Tuesday afternoon to draw up protocols for allowing spectators in. Fans will need to abide by social distancing rules, and spectator groups must be restricted to "discrete six-person gathering limits". Meanwhile, organisers of events that are likely to attract a crowd will need to put forward a "named person or persons with responsibility for ensuring adherence with these guidelines and ensuring the facility is Covid-19 secure". They would also need to publish a risk assessment limiting the number of spectators, and assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme by collecting information from spectators. The MPs who signed the letter had said that non-league clubs "tend to be supported by those within the town itself" and that average crowds are "in the hundreds". BBC Sport understands that the Football Association defines elite football as being everything from the Premier League down to National League North and South, which explains why the new rules apply to step three and below. A campaign using the slogan "#LetFansIn" has gained significant traction among non-league clubs in recent days, while two petitions supporting the cause have received more than 6,000 signatures. Crouch posted on Twitter: "Football has many wonderful layers but non-league is often at its heart and soul. With fewer fans it's easier to make clubs Covid secure but without them coming back soon their future is shaky so we've written to Sports Minister calling for non-league clubs to #LetFansIn." She later told the BBC that not allowing fans to attend non-league football "makes no sense". An FA spokesperson said: "We continue to follow government advice with regards to the return of spectators and are working continuously with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, DCMS and Leagues to seek approval for a safe return as soon as feasibly possible." Top of Form

News of some progress from south of the Border: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53817206 BBC Sport 18th August, 2020 By Laura Scott Fans will be allowed to attend football in the seventh tier and below, after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events. Clubs in the leagues below National League North and South will be able to open their gates to spectators for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The decision means a distinction has been drawn between the return of fans to recreational sport and elite sport, where pilots are required before an intended expansion from 1 October. It comes after more than 30 MPs wrote to sports minister Nigel Huddleston calling for the "urgent return of fans to non-league clubs". The letter, which was coordinated by former sports minister Tracey Crouch and Dame Cheryl Gillan, warned that clubs "at the heart of our constituencies" could be "lost forever" if an exemption is not granted. BBC Sport can reveal that the government's return to recreational team sport framework was updated on Tuesday afternoon to draw up protocols for allowing spectators in. Fans will need to abide by social distancing rules, and spectator groups must be restricted to "discrete six-person gathering limits". Meanwhile, organisers of events that are likely to attract a crowd will need to put forward a "named person or persons with responsibility for ensuring adherence with these guidelines and ensuring the facility is Covid-19 secure". They would also need to publish a risk assessment limiting the number of spectators, and assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme by collecting information from spectators. The MPs who signed the letter had said that non-league clubs "tend to be supported by those within the town itself" and that average crowds are "in the hundreds". BBC Sport understands that the Football Association defines elite football as being everything from the Premier League down to National League North and South, which explains why the new rules apply to step three and below. A campaign using the slogan "#LetFansIn" has gained significant traction among non-league clubs in recent days, while two petitions supporting the cause have received more than 6,000 signatures. Crouch posted on Twitter: "Football has many wonderful layers but non-league is often at its heart and soul. With fewer fans it's easier to make clubs Covid secure but without them coming back soon their future is shaky so we've written to Sports Minister calling for non-league clubs to #LetFansIn." She later told the BBC that not allowing fans to attend non-league football "makes no sense". An FA spokesperson said: "We continue to follow government advice with regards to the return of spectators and are working continuously with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, DCMS and Leagues to seek approval for a safe return as soon as feasibly possible." Top of Form

News of some progress from south of the Border: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53817206 BBC Sport 18th August, 2020 By Laura Scott Fans will be allowed to attend football in the seventh tier and below, after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events. Clubs in the leagues below National League North and South will be able to open their gates to spectators for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The decision means a distinction has been drawn between the return of fans to recreational sport and elite sport, where pilots are required before an intended expansion from 1 October. It comes after more than 30 MPs wrote to sports minister Nigel Huddleston calling for the "urgent return of fans to non-league clubs". The letter, which was coordinated by former sports minister Tracey Crouch and Dame Cheryl Gillan, warned that clubs "at the heart of our constituencies" could be "lost forever" if an exemption is not granted. BBC Sport can reveal that the government's return to recreational team sport framework was updated on Tuesday afternoon to draw up protocols for allowing spectators in. Fans will need to abide by social distancing rules, and spectator groups must be restricted to "discrete six-person gathering limits". Meanwhile, organisers of events that are likely to attract a crowd will need to put forward a "named person or persons with responsibility for ensuring adherence with these guidelines and ensuring the facility is Covid-19 secure". They would also need to publish a risk assessment limiting the number of spectators, and assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme by collecting information from spectators. The MPs who signed the letter had said that non-league clubs "tend to be supported by those within the town itself" and that average crowds are "in the hundreds". BBC Sport understands that the Football Association defines elite football as being everything from the Premier League down to National League North and South, which explains why the new rules apply to step three and below. A campaign using the slogan "#LetFansIn" has gained significant traction among non-league clubs in recent days, while two petitions supporting the cause have received more than 6,000 signatures. Crouch posted on Twitter: "Football has many wonderful layers but non-league is often at its heart and soul. With fewer fans it's easier to make clubs Covid secure but without them coming back soon their future is shaky so we've written to Sports Minister calling for non-league clubs to #LetFansIn." She later told the BBC that not allowing fans to attend non-league football "makes no sense". An FA spokesperson said: "We continue to follow government advice with regards to the return of spectators and are working continuously with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, DCMS and Leagues to seek approval for a safe return as soon as feasibly possible." Top of Form

News of some progress from south of the Border: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53817206 BBC Sport 18th August, 2020 By Laura Scott Fans will be allowed to attend football in the seventh tier and below, after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events. Clubs in the leagues below National League North and South will be able to open their gates to spectators for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The decision means a distinction has been drawn between the return of fans to recreational sport and elite sport, where pilots are required before an intended expansion from 1 October. It comes after more than 30 MPs wrote to sports minister Nigel Huddleston calling for the "urgent return of fans to non-league clubs". The letter, which was coordinated by former sports minister Tracey Crouch and Dame Cheryl Gillan, warned that clubs "at the heart of our constituencies" could be "lost forever" if an exemption is not granted. BBC Sport can reveal that the government's return to recreational team sport framework was updated on Tuesday afternoon to draw up protocols for allowing spectators in. Fans will need to abide by social distancing rules, and spectator groups must be restricted to "discrete six-person gathering limits". Meanwhile, organisers of events that are likely to attract a crowd will need to put forward a "named person or persons with responsibility for ensuring adherence with these guidelines and ensuring the facility is Covid-19 secure". They would also need to publish a risk assessment limiting the number of spectators, and assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme by collecting information from spectators. The MPs who signed the letter had said that non-league clubs "tend to be supported by those within the town itself" and that average crowds are "in the hundreds". BBC Sport understands that the Football Association defines elite football as being everything from the Premier League down to National League North and South, which explains why the new rules apply to step three and below. A campaign using the slogan "#LetFansIn" has gained significant traction among non-league clubs in recent days, while two petitions supporting the cause have received more than 6,000 signatures. Crouch posted on Twitter: "Football has many wonderful layers but non-league is often at its heart and soul. With fewer fans it's easier to make clubs Covid secure but without them coming back soon their future is shaky so we've written to Sports Minister calling for non-league clubs to #LetFansIn." She later told the BBC that not allowing fans to attend non-league football "makes no sense". An FA spokesperson said: "We continue to follow government advice with regards to the return of spectators and are working continuously with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, DCMS and Leagues to seek approval for a safe return as soon as feasibly possible." Top of Form

News of some progress from south of the Border: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53817206 BBC Sport 18th August, 2020 By Laura Scott Fans will be allowed to attend football in the seventh tier and below, after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events. Clubs in the leagues below National League North and South will be able to open their gates to spectators for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The decision means a distinction has been drawn between the return of fans to recreational sport and elite sport, where pilots are required before an intended expansion from 1 October. It comes after more than 30 MPs wrote to sports minister Nigel Huddleston calling for the "urgent return of fans to non-league clubs". The letter, which was coordinated by former sports minister Tracey Crouch and Dame Cheryl Gillan, warned that clubs "at the heart of our constituencies" could be "lost forever" if an exemption is not granted. BBC Sport can reveal that the government's return to recreational team sport framework was updated on Tuesday afternoon to draw up protocols for allowing spectators in. Fans will need to abide by social distancing rules, and spectator groups must be restricted to "discrete six-person gathering limits". Meanwhile, organisers of events that are likely to attract a crowd will need to put forward a "named person or persons with responsibility for ensuring adherence with these guidelines and ensuring the facility is Covid-19 secure". They would also need to publish a risk assessment limiting the number of spectators, and assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme by collecting information from spectators. The MPs who signed the letter had said that non-league clubs "tend to be supported by those within the town itself" and that average crowds are "in the hundreds". BBC Sport understands that the Football Association defines elite football as being everything from the Premier League down to National League North and South, which explains why the new rules apply to step three and below. A campaign using the slogan "#LetFansIn" has gained significant traction among non-league clubs in recent days, while two petitions supporting the cause have received more than 6,000 signatures. Crouch posted on Twitter: "Football has many wonderful layers but non-league is often at its heart and soul. With fewer fans it's easier to make clubs Covid secure but without them coming back soon their future is shaky so we've written to Sports Minister calling for non-league clubs to #LetFansIn." She later told the BBC that not allowing fans to attend non-league football "makes no sense". An FA spokesperson said: "We continue to follow government advice with regards to the return of spectators and are working continuously with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, DCMS and Leagues to seek approval for a safe return as soon as feasibly possible."

Flood-Lights on the way up at Coldstream.

Whitehill almost there too with FloodLights.

They re-applied and now have planning permission for flood-lights. Presumably they will be going up soon so they can keep their licence?

Ha! But seriously full time pro footballers train 52 weeks a year so they are fit. Match fitness and team preparations are also essentials. OK. That takes time but what's needed will vary according to the team e.g if there haven't been many changes it won't take so long compared to a team which has brought in a number of new faces. Also starting team-work too early can make teams stale by league season kick-off so it's the responsibility of each club to figure out what's best for them and those decisions will vary under normal circumstances. A point made earlier on this thread was along the lines of - if other Championship clubs are as prepared as Hearts are in terms of covid then why on earth prevent them from training in a responsible manner? JRP and SPFL haven't got this right or they've allowed themselves to be pushed into this by the SG? It is one or the other.

No it's not.

Clubs, under normal circumstances, would be choosing when to start ahead of a league season and those start of training dates would vary in any case. Is it suggested that all clubs must start pre-season training on the same date for each league or division? No. Of course not. It may even be argued that players get stale if they start club training too early.

Well. Either it is or it isn't. Shouldn't be difficult to establish that. Presumably the SPFL is up in arms about the JRG over-stepping its' remit???? or maybe not!

Spot on there Romeo! and Aberdeen and Celtic down to the Championship too. That would boost attendances - whenever the season starts.

It's interesting to hear that some clubs are looking at a way to join-up with the Pyramid leagues and are carrying out Ground work which would, presumably, help with that aim. It has been mentioned on the Juniors East Region thread that clubs such as Armadale and Whitburn have been busy working on their Grounds/facilities etc this summer. Hopefully it is with a view to joining the East of Scotland League sooner rather than later and their colleague clubs will join them in preparing for a move. We shall see!