Club Update

As we reach the end of the month of February, all connected with the game certainly at SPFL League One/Two status hoped to be in a position where they knew what the immediate future held for them following the suspension of football at that level originally back on the 11^th of January.

However, certainly over the past ten days, there has been no further official communication on the subject either from the SFA Joint Response Group, the SPFL or for that matter Government officials.

Obviously, the country is still in a lockdown scenario, although the figures on all fronts concerning the pandemic thankfully continue to show improvements on a daily basis, while numbers receiving the vaccination for the first time continue to rise.

Back to football and according to newspaper reports today quoting the Government’s Chief Medical Officer Jason Leitch, plans are being put in place for a resumption of the game at our level and below.

All connected with Forfar Athletic fully realise that in the current situation that all in the country find themselves in at present, the return of competitive football at our level is not and should not be the top of any priority list.

Many businesses large and small are currently shutdown with no firm dates as yet for re-opening.

However, as far as football is concerned time is running in regard to completing a season which perhaps should never have started and that is a fair point in the light of what has occurred.

For example, if we were given the 'green light’ to re-start training in the second week in March, how many weeks till part-time players achieve the adequate fitness level to resume playing at a competitive level following what will be by that time an eight-week lay-off?

Certainly with again according to press reports and no more, the completion of the Scottish Cup still pencilled in for April/May, any hopes of completing a 27 game league programme in Leagues One/Two and Play-Off fixtures by the conclusion of the current proposal of an extension of the campaign to the end of May are receding fast.

Some have suggested an extension till mid-June, but that would be near impossible, especially when one presumes that the start of the 2021/2 season will be pencilled in for mid-July to fall in line quite rightly with the needs of Premiership and Championship clubs whose current seasons are still very much on track to be completed by late April or mid-May.

There would also be problems with players out of contract at the end of May or early June, although they could be resolved.

A few difficult decisions therefore still lie ahead for the various authorities and all the clubs concerned, but some clarity is required from ‘on high’ sooner rather than later before all the various options are laid bare and assessed.

Rest assured we will keep ‘Loons’ supporters as up to date as we have continually tried to do throughout the past trying twelve months for all.

Keep safe and well in the meantime.