The Ref Stop

Refereeing guidance

The Ref Stop
All the changes seem to be made to indoor things, either holding off the reopening, or enforcing masks on the already open indoor activities so I don’t think we need to be concerned just yet
Not going ahead with pilot events at sports ground including outdoor events - Goodwood and Cricket. I hope this changes for September 1st (proposed start date of FA Cup).
 
Not going ahead with pilot events at sports ground including outdoor events - Goodwood and Cricket. I hope this changes for September 1st (proposed start date of FA Cup).

I seem to recall when they were looking at dates for the return one of the elements was around them allowing paying spectators in to help generate income at Steps 3-6.

Don't know if this might have an impact or the clubs will just have to get on with it.
 
I seem to recall when they were looking at dates for the return one of the elements was around them allowing paying spectators in to help generate income at Steps 3-6.

Don't know if this might have an impact or the clubs will just have to get on with it.
I can understand indoor arenas being postponed for the time being because transmission rate appears to be higher compared to outdoors. I still struggle to see why a step 5/6 club would not be able to have 200 spectators socially distanced around the ground. I think if the review on the 15th is put back again the FA may well need to push for exceptions in allowing fans in at these levels. The consequences otherwise could be devastating, e.g further delays or a restart with no fans and clubs going to the wall - or even both.
 
Not going ahead with pilot events at sports ground including outdoor events - Goodwood and Cricket. I hope this changes for September 1st (proposed start date of FA Cup).
Bare in mind these are events which were looking to have thousands gathered together as part of the trial.
 
Bare in mind these are events which were looking to have thousands gathered together as part of the trial.
You are right and I get that. Just concerns me that the FA stipulated from the start, and quite rightly, non league requires fans and with this postponement what sort of impact will this have on a September 5th start.
 
The Spartan have indicated that they can't restart without paying spectators. Clubs can't do it

Things are very uncertain. Thing is, most folk have lost confidence in the Govt. and maybe even the 'scientific advice' (which hasn't been great either)
Whilst the common man was compliant back in March, future restrictions are gonna be met with resistance, or even completely rejected by society
Social Media will determine the path ahead, not Boris or Witty or Hancock

Random rant over.... football has never been in such a bad place
 
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The Spartan have indicated that they can't restart without paying spectators. Clubs can't do it

Things are very uncertain. Thing is, most folk have lost confidence in the Govt. and maybe even the 'scientific advice' (which hasn't been great either)
Whilst the common man was compliant back in March, future restrictions are gonna be met with resistance, or even completely rejected by society
Social Media will determine the path ahead, not Boris or Witty or Hancock

In which case we will still be in and out of lock down in 2 or 3 years time, unless they get a vaccine and the entire population vaccinated before then.
 
In which case we will still be in and out of lock down in 2 or 3 years time, unless they get a vaccine and the entire population vaccinated before then.
The scientists are floundering with their understanding of the disease and the vaccine is fraught with uncertainty
Social Distancing aside, I can't envisage significant restrictions for the years ahead. I just can't see that
I can foresee a revolt by a society which has lost trust
 
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The Spartan have indicated that they can't restart without paying spectators. Clubs can't do it

Things are very uncertain. Thing is, most folk have lost confidence in the Govt. and maybe even the 'scientific advice' (which hasn't been great either)
Whilst the common man was compliant back in March, future restrictions are gonna be met with resistance, or even completely rejected by society
Social Media will determine the path ahead, not Boris or Witty or Hancock

Random rant over.... football has never been in such a bad place
Have to disagree. I live next to a beach. Common man has not been compliant, and social media has already been determining the way forward. We have been isolating due to health reasons, so while I was working from home I kept looking out the window. Watching the idiots squeezing themselves into any available space we knew this would happen. Before the summer they were walking along in groups who were obviously not related, or sitting down drinking beer. Then when it got sunny they'd drive up in several cars, get out and start hugging each other. Then they'd all go sit in the sun before going back to their cars, hugging each other again and driving off home.

Looking at the pictures of the beaches today is it any wonder it's ramping up? This was happening weeks ago as well, and now everyone will say "it's the government's fault" when too many people have been carrying on as though there's nothing going on for too long. "Common man" has to carry the can for this. The government tried to implement a full lockdown and were told "it's too hard" so had to ease off. Look how well everyone is obeying the "wear masks" instruction.

I work part of the year in India - I was due to go the week we went into lockdown so dodged a bullet there because I would have been stuck in Mumbai! - and the lockdown there was rigidly enforced. Unfortunately you can't lock people down when they live on the street or in a slum so they are really struggling with covid now, but that's not for want of trying. They also had people telling them it was too hard and had to ease up, but that was because people were starving to death, not because they fancied a party with their mates.

And that's my random rant over!
 
Have to disagree. I live next to a beach. Common man has not been compliant, and social media has already been determining the way forward. We have been isolating due to health reasons, so while I was working from home I kept looking out the window. Watching the idiots squeezing themselves into any available space we knew this would happen. Before the summer they were walking along in groups who were obviously not related, or sitting down drinking beer. Then when it got sunny they'd drive up in several cars, get out and start hugging each other. Then they'd all go sit in the sun before going back to their cars, hugging each other again and driving off home.

Looking at the pictures of the beaches today is it any wonder it's ramping up? This was happening weeks ago as well, and now everyone will say "it's the government's fault" when too many people have been carrying on as though there's nothing going on for too long. "Common man" has to carry the can for this. The government tried to implement a full lockdown and were told "it's too hard" so had to ease off. Look how well everyone is obeying the "wear masks" instruction.

I work part of the year in India - I was due to go the week we went into lockdown so dodged a bullet there because I would have been stuck in Mumbai! - and the lockdown there was rigidly enforced. Unfortunately you can't lock people down when they live on the street or in a slum so they are really struggling with covid now, but that's not for want of trying. They also had people telling them it was too hard and had to ease up, but that was because people were starving to death, not because they fancied a party with their mates.

And that's my random rant over!
Good rant! Better than mine!
My Dad's got a pub in Northumbria. He can't stop his customers from scrapping with each other since re-opening. Those common men haven't yet bought into the spirit of social distancing
 
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The scientists are floundering with their understanding of the disease and the vaccine is fraught with uncertainty
Social Distancing aside, I can't envisage significant restrictions for the years ahead. I just can't see that
I can foresee a revolt by a society which has lost trust

Same everywhere though, and the restrictions in the UK are far less severe that in many other countries.

At least we are getting football back, but if people keep ignoring the guidance (they are actually rules and laws so I don't understand why we don't call them that rather than guidance) football will be taken away from us again. This virus isn't going anywhere without a vaccine, the sooner people get their heads around that the better.
 
Be interesting to see what the review says on 15th August. If it gets put back another 2 weeks which is a real possibility with current infections rates I think that will all but end a September start - unless the FA can agree that steps 3-6 will be included in the ‘Pilots’ from September 1st with a view to this being in place permanently from October as per the original guidance. I’d say the next 2 weeks are critical.
 
Essentially the same... Waste of paper 🤣
Good job it was all put online then and no paper was harmed in the production of the guidance
You are right and I get that. Just concerns me that the FA stipulated from the start, and quite rightly, non league requires fans and with this postponement what sort of impact will this have on a September 5th start.
My Supply League and the Pool of which it is part have already accepted that clubs will need more time to comply. It is likely the restart will be Sept 12th or more likely 19th
Looking at the pictures of thousands of people cheek by jowel on beaches yesterday, an early September start has to be doubtful.
I was one of the "thousands" on a beach on Friday. Groups where I was remained socially distanced and as the tide came in, people went home rather than crush back up the beach and risk breaching guidelines.

The problem the government faces is that it is having to curtail the social activities of those groups who do not have enough surplus income to fly to Greece for the summer via Bulgaria. Their two week holiday, if they can afford one, is their one chance a year to escape the drudgery of a low paid, low skilled job in an economically depressed town full of over full run down housing. Living in the UK, sorry I meant England, is going to be very depressing for the next few years for a whole host of reasons and for the first time in 40 years, I'm thinking of heading home. At least there, they have controlled the virus and are still members of a mutually beneficial trading block.

Sorry for going off football there for a moment.

Back to football, I hope the ball ran kindly for those who got a run out yesterday. I was pleased by the result of the FA Cup Final yesterday. I don't think the situations the referee found himself in were particularly easy. Thought Aubameyang's second goal was a well crafted thing of beauty and he made it look easy.
 
Err that was the joke 🙄
Sadly, Brian, your beach buddies were the exception. As an example, Bournemouth had extra police and council officials having to close access to some beaches by lunchtime because of over-crowding.
The point I was making was that a lot of people are now ignoring the law, which does not bode well for a return to football matches with partisan spectators on the terraces/in the stands.
 
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