Page 4 - Deal Round Up June 2021

Trident leagues are back
on August 14th!
By
Jon Crouch
THE Pitching In Northern Premier League and Isthmian League have followed suit from the
Southern League and will start on the same date next season.
The 2021/22 campaign at Steps 3 and 4 is due to get underway on Saturday, August 14.
The Southern League announced in mid-March their plan to restart.
League chiefs will be hoping to complete a season for the first time in three years after the
2019- 20 campaign was declared null and void last March, before the 2020-21 campaign was
curtailed back in February after a truncated period, caused by the UK lockdown.
Indeed, few league games have been played since the season was suspended at the start of the
second lockdown in November with only a handful of matches taking place over Christmas
in the Northern Premier League.
Hopes were finally dashed of a season restart in February with no club across Steps 3 or 4
having played any more than ten league games – some as few as four.
Announcing the start date, an Isthmian League spokesman said: “We very much look for-
ward to seeing you all again, but before you ask, because it’s always the next question, no,
we don’t yet know when the fixtures will be
released!”
Ebbsfleet United fail in bid to be rein-
stated to the National League
Ebbsfleet United have been unsuccessful in
convincing the FA Alliance Committee to
reinstate them to the National League fol-
lowing relegation on points-per-game in the
2019-20 season. Ebbsfleet United’s Kuflink Stadium,
The National League South club were unable Stonebridge Road, Northfleet.
to win their place back on the pitch this year
after clubs voted to curtail the 2020-21 campaign at Step 2 in February. With the top-flight
currently running with 23 teams – one short of the usual 24 – Fleet attempted to be reinstat-
ed. The Kent-based side were relegated by 0.001 of a point when the 2019-20 campaign was
decided on points-per-game which saw Barrow as champions and Chorley and AFC Fylde
sent down with Ebbsfleet. The club explained: “We made representations to the League and
FA Alliance Committee to have rule 5.5.2 of the FA laws applied. Given the unique circum-
stances that led to our relegation last season, and us being one of only two clubs in the UK
pyramid to be dropped into a relegation position by Points Per Game, we felt application of
the rule under the laws was not only fair, but entirely reasonable.
“5.5.2 states that where a vacancy exists in Step 1, the highest-ranked relegated team of the
previous season is to fill that vacancy. On that basis, given there remains only 23 clubs in
Step 1 and an obvious vacancy, we felt it reasonable and were confident that the FA Alliance
Committee would enable that rule and bring Step 1 to its full complement of 24 teams for next
season.
“Unfortunately a number of emergency rule changes were made during the last season due to
the pandemic; one of those was a change which altered rule 5.5.2. The wording was changed
so that any vacancy that existed would be filled at the absolute discretion of the FA Alliance
Committee and FA Council. We put forward our case that given the circumstances and nature
of our relegation, that despite the rule not being “hard and fast” for this season due to the
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