National League cancels rest of the football season despite vote yet to be completed

Almost 90% of the 68 voting clubs have responded with an overwhelming majority calling for games to the abandoned, with the League board now required to determine how to end the season and solve promotion and relegation disputes

All remaining National League fixtures have been cancelled following a vote by clubs that ended overwhelmingly in favour of ending the 2019/20 season immediately, even though the last few responses are yet to be received.

The National League board decided to communicate the decision to end the National League, National League North and National League South divisions due to the coronavirus pandemic in order to allow clubs to “make business decisions with greater clarity as soon as possible”, and although the final vote results will not be released until every response has been returned, the outstanding votes will not be enough to sway the outcome.

It was announced that nearly 90 per cent of the 68 voting clubs had returned their decisions, with the majority calling for games to be scrapped.

The season was due to run until 25 April before the play-offs commenced, but a decision has been taken not to reschedule the remaining fixtures even when it is safe to do so – which falls into line with the rest of the English football pyramid below the National League.

The League will now look to determine how to finish the season and solve the dispute over promotion and relegation, which stands to be a difficult task to complete given no club across the three leagues had yet guaranteed promotion. One option is for the play-offs to take place, while they could also utilise a point-per-game average to work out the remaining fixtures and allocate finishing positions based on this season’s results, and a resolution plan will “remain under careful and timely consideration, and further updates will be given in due course”.

“At a time when the entire country is wrestling with the devastating impact of Covid-19, the cancellation of the remaining normal season matches brings a degree of certainty to our clubs coping with the business implications of the virus, said National League Chief Executive Officer Michael Tattersall.

A National League statement issued on Wednesday afternoon read: “National League Clubs were asked to support an ordinary resolution on 9 April to end the playing season for all fixtures scheduled up to and including 25 April 2020.

“With almost 90 per cent of responses returned it is evident a clear majority of clubs are in favour, including a majority of clubs in each of the National League, National League North and National League South divisions.

“In the knowledge that the ordinary resolution has passed, the League’s board has chosen to communicate the decision now and before the last few responses are received, which will not change the outcome, to enable clubs to make business decisions with greater clarity as soon as possible. Clubs yet to respond still have an opportunity to do so, and the League wishes to include as many preferences as possible before the final voting result is declared.”

The move means that the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two remain the only active divisions left in the country, though speculation this week has suggested that the bottom two tiers could follow the National League’s example and abandon what is left of the 2019/20 season in the coming weeks.