Page 4 - Deal Round Up Feb-March-April-May 2021

Ntional League Crisis
By
The Editor

The decision in February of the twenty three National League clubs to continue with the
season was obviously a massive one. The vote came about as a result of the governments
announcement that the financial help requested by the National League would come in the
form of loans and not as grants.
The feeling was among many supporters of non-league football that there was always going
to be a problem when the decision was made via the government that ‘elite’ sports could
continue playing albeit without spectators, which are a vital source of revenue for the majority
of these professional and semi-professional clubs. It is not only the money taken through the
turnstiles but the sale of refreshments and bar takings that help to pay the day to day running
of a non-league club.
This caused the Dover Athletic Chairman, Jim Parmenter, to
resign from the National League board. He sent a letter to
League chairman Brian Barwick and members of the board as
he ‘can no longer support the direction of travel the board is
taking’.
The Whites’ chairman opted to resign in order to disclose what
he really thinks with regard to the funding situation across the
National League.
In the letter, Parmenter stated: “I can no longer support the
direction of travel that the board is taking and I’m afraid I can
no longer be seen to be a party to actions which I absolutely
disagree with.
“I accept that the board is a collective and whilst as a member, it is a prerequisite that, in
public, the board and its Chairman are supported. I have therefore chosen to resign, in order
to say what I really believe publicly.
“The lack of grant funding should have been properly addressed in late December or at least
very early January. As it stands it is likely to be two months with no funds for clubs before any
sort of resolution is forthcoming.”
Dover were sitting second bottom of the National League table and publicly stated that they
would not be willing to continue without grant funding in place.
Parmenter continued: “I am in particular disagreement that the executive appears to be
encouraging clubs to take large loans to complete the season, as I have said twice at board
meetings I believe that the competition rules are being broken by allowing the proposed
loans, let alone encouraging them. (Page 155 Appendices 08 of the rule book).
“The league has for ten years insisted that clubs manage their financial affairs prudently and
has had great success and received much praise for the results, now that is all to be thrown
to the dogs and for what?
“I understand why the bigger, richer clubs with chances of promotion are pushing hard to con-
tinue, but in a sense they are asking smaller clubs with no crowds or income who are playing
for no reason to take large loans and probably overstretch themselves with dire consequenc-
es, to subsidise the larger clubs ambitions. I do not agree with that position.
“The board has very little credibility as an organisation within our clubs and I believe the deci-
sion to send letters to clubs who find it difficult to play, threatening sanctions was ill-conceived
and will do nothing to unite the competition in what continues to be a very divisive time.

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