Opinion: To play, or not to play - that is the question

With the new national lockdown under way, and few thinking it is not the right thing to be in place, the pressure for football matches to be played come what may has reduced.

In non-league circles, which I spend a fair bit of my day job reporting on in Sussex, teams are being asked to have their say on a proposal to terminate the season.

There’s a school of thought the league tables should just be frozen and the current season should continue when football does eventually get back to normal – after all, who can say next winter will be unaffected?

But few believe a return to action will be possible or safe within the next couple months.

Some believe the National League is heading the same way. You only have to look at how many postponements the Hawks have had in recent weeks to see how chaotic things are there.

And I wonder how close we are to an enforced break in Leagues One or Two?

Each time you hear of a new club having a Covid outbreak, you can’t help think that keeping the fixture list going is a losing battle.

Having said all that, I don't agree with the view expressed by Steve Bruce that all football should cease.

He says it’s morally wrong for football to continue and I can see where he is coming from – but I also believe football can play an important role in keeping our spirits up at this time.

When things like meeting friends and going to the pub are banned, the knowledge there’s a bit of live football to follow a couple of times a week is a comfort.

It might just prevent us going totally stir-crazy.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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