Hallam manager Craig Denton believes lower Non League clubs have missed out on an opportunity to raise much-needed income because of the ban on spectators.
Clubs across Steps 3 to 7 were hoping spectators would be allowed to attend matches in covid-secure grounds at similar capacity levels to the autumn from April 12th.
However, the latest set of rules – released last week – revealed spectators could attend matches played on public parks, but not on private land. You can also watch local cricket games on both public and private land.
Denton is unimpressed and he also feels the mental wellbeing of Non League spectators has been forgotten about.
“No matter what club it is, you are as a supporter you want to be involved and in Non League we have masses of amount of volunteers who live and breathe that football club,” Denton told Non League Yorkshire.
“Fans at Northern Counties have been secondary in terms of looking after people’s mental welfare.
“For our supporters, the volunteers, the players to talk about our mental mindsets…to not be part of something it has a massive effect on their wellbeing.
“Financially for clubs as well when their bars are not open and tickets sales have dried up it is tough. These are key aspects of football clubs run by the community and play a vital role in the community.
“A lot of clubhouses are opening up and generating other income through other functions, but the sooner fans can start coming back in and paying their money on the door and buying a pie and a programme the better.
“There’s floodlights to be turned on, there is officials to be paid. These are small expenses that need to be paid and without spectators local Non League football clubs will find it difficult.
“These next four weeks would have been a good chance to bring revenue in.
“We looked at what tournaments other clubs were holding and we would have loved to have been part of them because our players want to get back into for the social and psychological side.
“But if the clubs aren’t benefiting in terms of spectators it is a thankless task.
“I really didn’t enjoy the behind closed doors games (last year). It is not what coaches, managers, players get involved for. There was something missing and that obviously was the supporters.
“We’ve been really down the pile in terms of the road-map and cast-aside. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel and we’re moving out of that.”
One reason why Denton feels the next four weeks would have been financially beneficial to Non League clubs is because it is doubtful money-spinning friendlies between Football League and Non League sides in July with full-capacity crowds will happen.
“We need help from the local pro clubs in pre-season,” he said.
“For example, Ossett need Leeds United to come and play them in pre-season.
“Those types of games probably won’t happen in the short-term (because of the pandemic) and that really worries me in a way because some clubs put their eggs in one basket (with a high profile pre-season fixture).
“That cash injection is so vital and I really hope the FA and Government see how important it is.”
Denton can also speak from first hand experience about the bizarreness of the latest rules.
“I went on Sunday to watch a Rotherham & District Sunday Premier game,” he said.
“Supporters were there watching and were mindful of adhering to social distancing.
“I took my seven-month daughter and had a walk round so I feel slightly annoyed that our supporters can’t do that.
“I understand the FA or the clubs can’t open up the football grounds as we used to do, but things like the two-metre rule, hand-sanitiser and track and trace are in place.
“I know every Northern Counties Division One club Hallam visited (between September and December) was adhering to the rules. I remember turning up at Rossington and signing in and having my temperature checked. There was social-distancing in the dressing rooms as well.
“Loads of clubs were trying their upmost best to make it really safe.
“Then you go to a local park and nothing (covid-secure procedures) is there so it is certainly frustrating.”
Denton does not plan on playing any matches behind closed doors, but he is gathering as many of his players as possible on a Thursday night to get them smiling again.
“We’re starting this week with a kind of Thursday drop-in session where we’re going to turn up and play football,” he said.
“It isn’t going to be pre-season. I think it is quite important I get the lads back together for that social side. The lads just want to get together and enjoy playing football again.
“It is going to be basically open football where depending on numbers lads will play five-a-side, eight-a-side and that will be until June or July when we’ll start our pre-season.
“There’ll be no expectations that they’ll come in on a Thursday (for the turn up and play sessions). When we start pre-season officially that’s when they’ll officially start.
“The football club have been great as we have hired a local astroturf pitch.”
Early next month marks the first anniversary of Denton’s ascension to the Hallam throne.
The title-winning former Worksop Town manager won four of his eight Toolstation NCEL Division One games in the ill-fated 2020/21 campaign. He also enjoyed a fairly successful FA Vase run.
So the plan is very much to push on from a positive start, with minimal summer recruitment taking place.
“It is a brand new side apart from one or two lads I kept from the previous season,” he said.
“I think for any manager at Non League your first season is very much about getting your feet under the table, finding out the feel for the club and understanding recruitment so we have used the curtailed season as a long pre-season.
“We started from fresh and we got a bit of a run going and I thought if the season had continued we would have been in-and-around it (the promotion spots).
“I’m not really looking to add new faces. I feel we have got a good squad and we now have loads of time to embed the vision of how we’re going to play.
“So player recruitment is not a big focus for me because I’m really happy with what I’ve already recruited.
“The club really wants to stride on. I’ve got a really patient, reasonable and understanding chairman who totally understands football, especially Non League. He understands budgets and about long-term growth as a football club.
“Hallam has an infrastructure where they should be in the Northern Counties Prem and the club understands that doesn’t happen overnight.
“The players I have recruited; I wouldn’t dream of saying we’re happy in Northern Counties Division One. The players I have got are extremely ambitious like Danny Patterson and Richard Patterson.
“I ain’t going to kid anyone, of course the group wants to win promotion and that’s my aim.
“But it is not the be-all and end-all for the football club itself.
“The club plays a huge part in the community with what it offers, but it would be wonderful if we can be in-and-around it and stride on from last season and build on what the previous managers and previous chairmans have done for the football club.”
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams. When we properly return to ‘action’, our work will play an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
We have enjoyed great success over the past three years. Several of our players have represented Mencap GB in Geneva, including Billy Hobson from Selby and Greg Smith, whose story is quite inspiring.
You can learn more about the organisation HERE and on our Facebook page.
Watch the video below to see highlights from our three years as an organisation. The video was produced for our players at the end of March to remind them of good memories from the last three years.
