F A Cup?

[ForeverBlue]

With all the speculation about tonight's statement from the PM about the lockdown, I was wondering what might happen about the timing of next season's FA Cup.

I know it's immaterial and unimportant in the wider scheme of things, but I was just thinking about if/when we might get to play in the 2020-21 season?

With the pros looking to play behind closed doors, which is no good to us, of course, perhaps there might be a way of allowing gatherings of up to say, 500, with some distancing later this year, which could allow qualifying rounds of the FA Cup to take place, but I just can't see that being as soon as it was last season.

Here are the dates for the planned games for the 19-20 season:

Extra Preliminary Round Saturday 10 August 2019
Preliminary Round Saturday 24 August 2019
First Round Qualifying Saturday 7 September 2019
Second Round Qualifying Saturday 21 September 2019
Third Round Qualifying Saturday 5 October 2019
Fourth Round Qualifying Saturday 19 October 2019
First Round Proper Saturday 9 November 2019
Second Round Proper Saturday 30 November 2019
Third Round Proper Saturday 4 January 2020
Fourth Round Proper Saturday 25 January 2020
Fifth Round Proper Wednesday 4 March 2020
Quarter Final Saturday 21 March 2020
Semi Final Saturday 18 April & Sunday 19 April 2020
Final Saturday 23 May 2020

If we were allowed to start pre-season training in August, rather than July, and start games in September, rather than August, we might get a September FA Cup start.

What about an FA Cup schedule like this:

EPL 5 Sept 2020
PR 19 Sept
Q1 3 Oct
Q2 17 Oct
Q3 31 Oct
Q4 14 Nov
R1 28 Nov
2 14 Dec
3 9 Jan 2021
5 23 Jan
5 Wed 10 March
Q 27 March
S 17 April S 18 April
F 15 May

The Euros are now going to be from 11 June to 11 July 2021, so an earlier FA Cup final of 15 May, a week earlier than 2020, would allow reasonable preparation time.

I am probably being too optimistic, as we still have no indication when the 2019-20 professional season will finish.

I just hope the FA can show flexibility for the biggest domestic cup tournament in the world and allow all the lower non league to compete as soon as rules are relaxed for outdoor sport.

[ForeverBlue]

May 10, 2020 13:40:29 GMT 1 ForeverBlue said:

With all the speculation about tonight's statement from the PM about the lockdown, I was wondering what might happen about the timing of next season's FA Cup.

I know it's immaterial and unimportant in the wider scheme of things, but I was just thinking about if/when we might get to play in the 2020-21 season?

With the pros looking to play behind closed doors, which is no good to us, of course, perhaps there might be a way of allowing gatherings of up to say, 500, with some distancing later this year, which could allow qualifying rounds of the FA Cup to take place, but I just can't see that being as soon as it was last season.

Here are the dates for the planned games for the 19-20 season:

Extra Preliminary Round Saturday 10 August 2019
Preliminary Round Saturday 24 August 2019
First Round Qualifying Saturday 7 September 2019
Second Round Qualifying Saturday 21 September 2019
Third Round Qualifying Saturday 5 October 2019
Fourth Round Qualifying Saturday 19 October 2019
First Round Proper Saturday 9 November 2019
Second Round Proper Saturday 30 November 2019
Third Round Proper Saturday 4 January 2020
Fourth Round Proper Saturday 25 January 2020
Fifth Round Proper Wednesday 4 March 2020
Quarter Final Saturday 21 March 2020
Semi Final Saturday 18 April & Sunday 19 April 2020
Final Saturday 23 May 2020

If we were allowed to start pre-season training in August, rather than July, and start games in September, rather than August, we might get a September FA Cup start.

What about an FA Cup schedule like this:

EPL 5 Sept 2020
PR 19 Sept
Q1 3 Oct
Q2 17 Oct
Q3 31 Oct
Q4 14 Nov
R1 28 Nov
2 14 Dec
3 9 Jan 2021
5 23 Jan
5 Wed 10 March
Q 27 March
S 17 April S 18 April
F 15 May

The Euros are now going to be from 11 June to 11 July 2021, so an earlier FA Cup final of 15 May, a week earlier than 2020, would allow reasonable preparation time.

I am probably being too optimistic, as we still have no indication when the 2019-20 professional season will finish.

I just hope the FA can show flexibility for the biggest domestic cup tournament in the world and allow all the lower non league to compete as soon as rules are relaxed for outdoor sport.

Thought I'd bump this up from 10 May when I posted it.

It could be that my 2020-21 FA Cup schedule might work as I've shown above, if we were able to start pre-season in early August. With Govt social distancing changes widely predicted from 4 July, all we need is a "sensible" FA judgement for non league that "crowds" can be allowed at say, 25% of ground capacities and we could get our league programme started in early September and finish in early May, with no league cup games to save a few midweeks for the league games.

Needs a lot of work behind the scenes at hundreds of clubs which are run by volunteers at Step 3 down to Step 6 where there are paying customers, without whom there would be no club, but it might just work.

ForeverBlue signing off in optimistic mode! Have a good weekend, everyone.

[Deleted]

Well done FB,you let us all know how it could turn many weeks ago.

If you're optimistic that's good enough for me.

[ForeverBlue]

Optimism waning a little with the latest pronouncements, so I've re-worked a possible FA Cup schedule as follows:

EPL 3 Oct 2020
PR 17 Oct
Q1 31 Oct
Q2 14 Nov
Q3 28 Nov
Q4 12 Dec
R1 2 Jan 2021
2 16 Jan
3 30 Jan
4 13 Feb
5 Wed 10 March
Q 27 March
S 17 April S 18 April
F 15 May

All with no replays, just extra-time and pens if necessary.

Crowd limits for the early rounds with social distancing in place for a few months to come still.

Each ground at grassroots level has a capacity limit. Quite easy to apply a percentage limit and all ticket games.

Good example - ground capacity, say 3000, limit of say 25% = 750. The percentage could increase to say, 50% if social distancing rules are relaxed further later in the year.

Most grassroots clubs would be delighted to get 750 at their games during the qualifying round stages!

Also have to fit in FA Trophy games.

All still do-able.

Post Script - Perhaps we might then have a slightly truncated league season starting on 10 October and finishing on 22 May, with no round-robin league cup. That would still give a 33 week season, only five short of the original plan for the 20-21 season.

[ForeverBlue]

Another two weeks gone by in a flash and i am less optimistic about OUR FA Cup!

This was an article in May that I had overlooked:

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8351393/Hundreds-small-football-clubs-EXCLUDED-2020-21-FA-Cup-season-delayed.html

With the FA announcing they are in a financial crisis, support for Non League appears to be well down the list of priorities.

Can you imagine an FA Cup with no qualifying rounds and hundreds of our clubs unable to experience "the magic of the Cup"?

My last attempt at an FA Cup timetable in my previous post is rapidly becoming a pipe dream.

We would need to start our season in late September/early October and with no announcements forthcoming which would even see the usual six-week pre-season programme commencing in August, I fear for our involvement in the 2020-2021 FA Cup.

[Deleted]

I see that there is an FA meeting on 14 July that is scheduled to provide some clarity.

Yes,time could get a little short,I suppose it depends on how many league games are scheduled.
Could our level only play 1/2 or 3/4's of a league season?,allowing for the FA Cup and FA Trophy to proceed relatively unimpeded?

[ForeverBlue]

Possibly, but I don't think the league would be happy with a much reduced league programme if they can possibly avoid it. I have a feeling the FA may bow to the big clubs and spread a few crumbs equally between the hundreds of non league clubs below the National League i.e. Non League Step 3 and below rather than let us play in the competition.

[Deleted]

That would be a shame,first time since 72/73

[mrsp]

I have had an email from the FA saying they don't know what is happening yet. They will update as when they know what is happening. No dates being published until they know if and when the season will start.

They will let me know more when they know.

[ForeverBlue]

Jul 8, 2020 7:26:43 GMT 1 @onenickycrown said:

That would be a shame,first time since 72/73

And that was only because the club forgot to pay the entry fee! Shame the FA didn't remind the Secretary that he had overlooked it. Some things don't change!!

[Deleted]

Jul 8, 2020 8:33:50 GMT 1 ForeverBlue said:

Jul 8, 2020 7:26:43 GMT 1 @onenickycrown said:

And that was only because the club forgot to pay the entry fee! Shame the FA didn't remind the Secretary that he had overlooked it. Some things don't change!!

I've read about that incident in the Gazette,I think the club had been served notice to leave The Rec at the same time as the FA Cup entry form and fee were due to be sent.

Dark days.

[gazza56]

It seems like us non league sides are just a pain to the FA that they wish would Go away !!!! just my opinion

[stewieg]

I posted on here a couple of days ago, that the covid-19 crisis has hit the FA hard and that there is going to be a serious round of redundancies. The more I hear about this from my contacts at work, the more dismayed I am about the way that it is going to affect the administration of the game at every level. Some very good people at the FA (and yes there are some) will be on their way out the door. So I wouldn't hold your breath for anything deep and meaningful for the time being.