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Playing with the Coronavirus

At the same me as our poli cal leaders were telling us that we need to learn to
live with the virus, the Football Associa on was se ng out their guidance on how
we would be able to play football whilst Covid was s ll with us. Taking a lead from
th
the Governments move into Step 4 on July 19 , the FA’s Na onal League System
Club guidance echoed the news that there were no longer any limita ons on the
number of people who can meet, and the one-meter rule was now a thing of the
past. However, like the rest of society, the footballing public was urged to move
ahead with cau on. Face coverings are no longer required but advised and whilst
changing rooms can be used, Clubs are urged to avoid “par cipants being in a
crowded area for a prolonged me”.

But as society opens and schools and universi es return, what can non-league
football hope to achieve to keep its par cipants safe, when there is so much
poten al for work and leisure ac vi es to spread the virus and jeopardise fixtures?
"The evidence is very clear that outdoor spaces are safer than indoors," Prof Chris
Whi y, the UK's chief medical officer has consistently advised. “From the data we
have looked at, and the work that has been done on back to play protocols, the risk
of playing outdoor sport is extraordinarily low,” said Professor Mike Weed of
Canterbury Christ Church University, in March this year. So it’s reasonable to
conclude that watching football outside and playing football outside are both
rela vely safe things to do.

The cri cal challenge faced by the non-league game, in terms of virus transmission,
remains the indoor se ngs, the clubhouses and the changing rooms. In terms of
spectators, clubhouses are no more dangerous than your local pub. However, a
study by the University of Portsmouth showing that non-regular pub-goers ‘might
never return a er lockdown easing’, suggests that clubhouses might not hold the
same appeal, post-pandemic, as they once did.
A endances at non-league games show that spectators are prepared to take their
chances, but what about the risks posed to players, coaches and match officials? In
many respects these are the groups that can bear the greatest risk, because of
their age and good health, but they are also the groups currently working their way
through the vaccina on system, with many yet to have their second dose. Clubs
can play a crucial role in demonstra ng good prac se, in the same way that