AT THE time of going to print Brighouse Town AFC were still awaiting, despite the PM’s route out of Lockdown, on news of whether their NPL Division North West season for the second year running had been declared null and void.
With the further loss of the entire month of March and the possibility of playing at least 10 fixtures in that time against a backlog of in many cases 28-30 games, the entire club memberships along the M62 corridor were of the opinion that termination was the only option.
While grant aid is being received at Steps 3-6 to help with ground maintenance and utility bills, the universal feeling all along was that games couldn’t be played if spectators were not allowed in.
There is no Tier system this time around where a proportion of each club’s capacity attendance could be allowed in at the start of the 2020-21 campaign, so it will no doubt unfurl in the next few days what sort of crowds clubs at Town’s level could be allowed in for the regional competitions they plan, like Town’s under the directorship of their manager Vill Powell.
By May 17 in the latter stages of those competitions it will see maximum attendances for non-league clubs with Elite football being allowed 10,000 crowds unless there was a setback with covid figures failing to continuing to be in decline.
Town’s academy manager Simon Ward has produced a promotional video with the club’s media manager Damian Wales to attract this year’s Year 11 students and their parents/guardians to signing up for the full time academy programme. That includes B-Tech course work alongside football training and midweek league matches which can then lead towards Football League club apprenticeships and also university placings.
Sowerby Bridge-based Ward has been doing a sterling job in the past two educational years battling against the pandemic and unable to get his students out on to the pitch for games in the past twelve months.
The promotional film can be seen on httyps://youtu.be/ziJpGgcNu.
Brighouse Town’s women’s team are now hoping to hear, even if their NPL is declared null and void, if they can continue with their FA Cup run. The second round home tie with Newcastle United Women has been postponed since Sunday, January 3 because of the pandemic.
“They just need to know where they stand,” said director of football Colin Tomkins.
The financial legacy from the Tottenham-capped FA Cup run for Marine in Town’s league has led to plans for a 3G pitch to lead to even more community involvement and security for many years to come for the Liverpool club based in Crosby.
