Gloucester City’s terrific season has come to a heart-breaking early end after the National League North and South was declared null and void.
Last night, news was broken by Non-League journalist Ollie Bayliss on Twitter that National League Step Two divisions will no longer continue playing this season following club’s votes, creating frustration for The Tigers who currently sit top of the National League North table.
Gloucester City’s co-chairman Alex Petheram recently tweeted out his frustration with the situation stating that he is “disappointed” and “have now formally started a legal action at @GCAFCofficial against the ‘null and void outcome’. This isn’t to make the club play on, it’s to allow promotion and relegation. #PromoteStep2”.
It had been a great season so far for Gloucester earning 35 points from 18 games and being the league’s highest goal scorers, with their last game coming just six days ago in a 1-1 draw at home to Chorley. However, for the second time running they will be unable to finish this season and will have to look ahead to next season.
Clubs voted in a format that saw three resolutions. First, clubs voted whether to let teams to vote on their own step, which saw most clubs vote for it. The second resolution was to decide if Step One (National League) should carry on this season, which most voted against. Finally, resolution three was to decide if Step Two (National League North and South) should continue, which passed and means that Gloucester City and their league rivals will no longer carry on for the remainder of the season.
Resolution three also stated that “subject to approval from the FA those regulations that provide for promotion and relegation to and from Step 2 be suspended for 2020/21,” forbidding any chance of promotion for the Tigers.
In what has been a tough year for clubs of all sizes due to COVID-19, teams in Non-League have certainly felt the brunt of it. It was fortunate that step 2 of England’s football leagues were considered an elite sport which allowed them to start and have a big part of the season, but without fans it is tough for clubs at this level to enjoy football without having financial issues and this null and void will have helped clubs to survive and not go bust.
Editor at large for the Non-League Paper, Matt Badcock believes there is “no good outcome” for non-league.
“It’s been going on for a long time but it was becoming clear recently that null and void would become the only option as clubs can’t continue for much longer with no money coming in.
“There’s going to be some step two clubs that are unhappy with it as they have their own ambitions of going up, but it could’ve became anarchy if clubs decided to play on because there would be some clubs who would simply refuse to play on.
“There is no good outcome at all for non-league, I just don’t see that it could’ve carried on because clubs would’ve been adamant not to carry on.
“There seems to be a lot of money in football, but it’s not enough it seems when it comes down to non-league. I think clubs will start looking ahead to next season where they’ll want and need fans in the ground,” said Badcock.