Pre-season friendlies in August will have to be played behind closed doors, unless Government rules change.
Even the start of the 2020/21 may have to be delayed if not spectators cannot be allowed to enter grounds in time for the planned September start dates.
The FA hope to have the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round matches played on Tuesday 1st September. They then hope Steps 1, 2, 5 and 6 leagues commence competitive action on the 5th September. Under the FA’s plan, Steps 3 and 4 will start on Saturday 19th September.
This is all dependent on the Government allowing spectators into grounds and the FA say they are continuing to work with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to gain approval for crowds.
The FA has previously said Non League Football will only return when spectators can attend matches.
In the meantime, Non League clubs face huge challenges to be even able to host fixtures with spectators.
Clubhouses, changing rooms and toilets are areas of concern as volunteer-led clubs need to quickly establish how they can successfully manage those amenities. Clubs with small numbers of volunteers clearly will have problems, especially those with over 70s who may not feel comfortable offering their services anymore.
Clubs must appoint Covid Officer who will perform a risk assessment and various other tasks. Clubs have until August 15th to publish documents on their website to show their ground is Covid secure.
The new FA guidance document for clubs regarding training and matches is pretty lengthy and there clearly will be no quick fix.