Page 4 - Deal Round Up November 2020

The Non-League
Family Starts With
The Children
By Matt Bascock

IT’S DIFFICULT to know what to write about sometimes particularly when the last few months all
you hear about is Covid-19. Do people want to hear views on the big issues around the game, or
are you flicking through the booklet looking for some light-hearted reading?
It feels like everything has been a bit serious recently. And rightfully so. Clubs up and down the
country are worried about the future. What makes it harder, in this Covid pandemic, is a lot of
the things we are worrying about when it comes to Non-League football are largely out of every-
one’s control. While clubs can put the right protocols in place, if the government suddenly decide
no fans then there’s not much that can be done about it. It’s a frustrating time for all, perhaps
summed up by the situation recently in the FA Cup where Step 2 fans were not allowed to watch
their team play live, be it home or away.
At the time of writing, there is still great uncertainty for Na-
tional League clubs about their kick-off. They will be behind
closed doors but with almost no exceptions, that will only
work if there is sufficient support from the Government or
the Premier League.
All we really want is to watch our teams play again. That
goes for every club throughout the pyramid. Those who
already have fans in want to make sure the gates stay
open. Perhaps this tricky period reminds us why we started
watching Non-League football in the first place.
The thought sprung to mind from a recent copy of the NLP
where our new columnist Tony Incenzo – talkSPORT’s journalist and Non-League expert – about
the importance of getting young fans through the doors. Tony recounts how his mum used to
drop him and a friend at the gates of Hendon and would return at 4.45pm to pick them up know-
ing they will have had an enjoyable, and safe, afternoon watching their local side.
From then Tony’s passion for these levels of the game soared and, anyone who follows him on
twitter, will know just how many grounds he has visited over the years.
It got me to thinking about my own involvement in the game. My Dad is the one to blame, heav-
ily involved in Non-League football, I probably had no choice.
But I loved going down to a ground, smelling the liniment waft from the changing rooms before
standing so close to the action soaking it all in. I enjoyed watching Premier League football, like
any other kid, but really Non-League was the place to be.
That then morphed into regularly watching Farnborough Town with friends before, in our teen-
age years, that transformed into away games as well. We’d hop on the train early in the morning
and headed off to far flung destinations like Hitchin, Carshalton and St Albans. It’s only a few
years later when you start driving that you realise these places are not that far away at all.
But that was our Saturdays, stopping at McDonalds on the way to the ground, stopping there
again on the way back to the station. Navigating our way through Clapham Junction and eventu-
ally arriving back home tired but fulfilled. That’s what Covid has shown me, anyway. How much I
enjoy being at a game with other people and soaking it all in. How I enjoy going to a game with
my Dad, who kick-started my love affair with Non-League in the first place. And, with that, I’m
off tonight to see a game with him. Enjoy your game.
Common Sense And Social Distancing - By Sam Emery
HERE WE go again. This week, Boris Johnson urged people to go back to the cinemas
following the sad decision of Cineworld to temporarily close its 127 theatres across the UK,
affecting 45,000 jobs.
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