Covid & postponements

[Paul Collings]

The Duchy League has a few issues  arising around players testing positive for covid or being notified to self-isolate and the affect that has on fixtures.

No player with recognised symptoms or who has had a positive test or has been officially told to self-isolate should be playing football until the relevant time has passed.  In reality, all other players pose an unknown/potential threat but the Government and FA deem this to be acceptable in order to keep the game going based on the principal that the game is in the open air and all clubs should have covid-safe procedures in place.

Not everybody will agree with this but we all as individuals have a personal choice. As a retired old git I have personally decided it is not worth mixing in football circles at the moment.

 Beyond the regulations, players and clubs can make their own decisions but inevitably there will be practical consequences. Any player or club feeling unable/unwilling to play due to covid does not have to do so but that does not automatically mean their games will simply be postponed.

The Duchy League needs to follow guidelines and also take practical measures to endeavour to get the season finished safely.  Another lock down or mass postponements will make it very hard to complete the season.

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by Paul Collings
new guidelines

[Harry sawyers]

1 hour ago, Paul Collings said:

The Duchy League has a few issues  arising around players testing positive for covid or being notified to self-isolate and the affect that has on fixtures.

No player with recognised symptoms or who has had a positive test or has been officially told to self-isolate should be playing football until the relevant time has passed.  In reality, all other players pose an unknown/potential threat but the Government and FA deem this to be acceptable in order to keep the game going based on the principal that the game is in the open air and all clubs should have covid-safe procedures in place.

Not everybody will agree with this but we all as individuals have a personal choice. As a retired old git I have personally decided it is not worth mixing in football circles at the moment.

 Beyond the regulations, players and clubs can make their own decisions but inevitably there will be practical consequences. Any player or club feeling unable/unwilling to play due to covid does not have to do so but that does not automatically mean their games will simply be postponed.

The Duchy League needs to follow guidelines and also take practical measures to endeavour to get the season finished safely.  Another lock down or mass postponements will make it very hard to complete the season.

Any club not playing due to covid will initially be charged with failure to fulfil a fixture as per the FA’s Standard Code of Rules. The club then gets chance to put its case forward for consideration by the League.  All cases need to be dealt with on merit but in most cases I would expect this to mean that matches are awarded to the opponents but NO fine will be issued. Any decision of the League Management Committee can of course be appealed to the Cornwall FA whose guidance we are following.

Is it ideal ? – no.
Is it fair ? – those affected wont think so.
Is it reasonable ? – on balance I would say yes.

Think for yourselves but consider others and the wider picture - we might just get through this.

This children is the urban definition of a guilt trip. 

[Paul Collings]

Just received an email from CFA basically stating that they have changed their advice -  a whole team can go out and get themselves into isolation and the rest of the clubs should pay the price - that's the final straw for me. Good luck everybody. 

[Badgers]

33 minutes ago, Paul Collings said:

Just received an email from CFA basically stating that they have changed their advice -  a whole team can go out and get themselves into isolation and the rest of the clubs should pay the price - that's the final straw for me. Good luck everybody. 

So are you saying that if a team cant raise a side due to covid that there will be no punishments.

[Paul Collings]

1 hour ago, Badgers said:

So are you saying that if a team cant raise a side due to covid that there will be no punishments.

you'll have to address that to Cornwall FA

3 hours ago, Harry sawyers said:

This children is the urban definition of a guilt trip. 

i'm not bright enough to understand that Harry - but i guess you are having a whinge.

[LaLaL]

7 hours ago, Paul Collings said:

Just received an email from CFA basically stating that they have changed their advice -  a whole team can go out and get themselves into isolation and the rest of the clubs should pay the price - that's the final straw for me. Good luck everybody. 

So are you suggesting that having the game postponed is a bigger price to pay than putting peoples lives at risk? No one goes out with the intention to catch this virus! 
 

This really doesn’t feel like it should be an issue. If teams really wanted to call games off due to a lack of players then given the time of year, they could easily use the weather as an excuse. The fact we are having teams take responsibility and notifying the league of COVID issues is surely a positive as it essentially prevents future disruption to additional fixtures by reducing the risk of transmission? The tone of your message and some of the responses seem very cynical.

I suppose if games in the Premier league have been postponed due to COVID with neither side being penalised then it would be stupid for grassroots leagues to follow suit.... 

 

6 hours ago, Badgers said:

So are you saying that if a team cant raise a side due to covid that there will be no punishments.

Why should there be? You can’t help an international pandemic.

Maybe there should be some procedure in place where clubs need to evidence positive results / legal isolation requirements to ensure there is no foul play involved. 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

I would be amazed if some would lie about Covid to cancel a game!!!

Cant see anyone being that callous or desperate. 

[Paul Collings]

there may be some confusion about the issue here.

The scenario is that a full squad of 16 players all get told to isolate after a match. Considering that the match itself is not classed as 'close contact' and assuming that they don't all live or work together then these 16 players have either been really unlucky or perhaps really irresponsible.

Clearly they cannot play the following week and so the fixture will not be fulfilled. Should the match be postponed or awarded to their opponents ?

In considering the answer it would have to be considered that the players may be to blame but also can we ignore the fixture congestion that is already on the cards following the recent lock down ? If we get another lock down and/or allow mass postponements due to covid would it be possible to finish the season ?

One argument is that St Piran & Peninsula have already allowed covid postponements so the Duchy should do likewise. However, the majority of clubs in those leagues have access to floodlit pitches and priority for referees therefore a huge fixture backlog would not impact on them in April and May in the same way.

Basically some people seem more concerned about losing three points than getting the season finished safely.

 

[Guest]

Paul, as is normal with your posts, you have attempted and succeeded in my humble opinion to put a very realistic slant on this situation on behalf of the Duchy League. You, and any league administrator come to that, have the extremely unenviable task of attempting to portray the situation as accurately as possible, we are most definitely in the 'can't please all of the people, all of the time'  scenario here. The lack of clear and direct guidance on occasions from above certainly has not helped the situation. We can but hope that the vast majority 'out there' will do the correct thing as often as possible so that everyone can get back to living a normal life , that said unfortunately it has not been happening nationwide or locally as the increasing numbers of positive cases and 2nd lockdown have shown.

[Paul Collings]

Unfortunately my old school, hard line, realistic approach is no longer fashionable on top of which the leagues are now little more than puppets being operated by the FA. 

I think Cornwall FA should be telling us what we 'can' or 'can't' or 'must' do but not what we 'should' do.

Any league decision can be appealed to Cornwall FA. If that same body has already stated what we 'should' do then it has, in affect, pre-judged any appeal and it is pointless doing anything other than follow their advice. 

In this instance I think  Cornwall FA is wrong but the league will move on and things may work out in the end.

For my part I have accepted that I am totally out of step with 21st century football life, life in general actually.

Very best wishes for a safe and peaceful break to everyone.

 

 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

As any administrator...you can't do right for doing wrong.

Just let it all wash over your head and carry on...or not!

Let the know alls run it.

[Badgers]

19 hours ago, LaLaL said:

Why should there be? You can’t help an international pandemic.

Maybe there should be some procedure in place where clubs need to evidence positive results / legal isolation requirements to ensure there is no foul play involved. 

I was just asking as I hadn’t seen any guidance but surely if a whole squad has been told to self isolate then have they been following the protocols correctly? 

either way let’s hope for a decent winter, everyone to be healthy and no further lockdowns