‘The FA never get it right when it comes to grassroots football’ – Moneyfields chairman

The governing body’s announcement last Thursday was a bombshell to the clubs chasing promotion from the Southern League downwards, and some have already threatened legal action.

Even though the decision had no real bearing on Moneyfields’ first team, it certainly affected the club’s reserves and ladies teams.

Both of those were well on course to win promotion - having won 23 league games and lost just one between them in 2019/20 out of 24 matches combined.

‘The FA never get it right when it comes to grassroots football,’ Seiden remarked. ‘They never have done and they never will.

‘Points-per-game is not brilliant. But it would have been a lot fairer, and it would have rewarded success - you’d have had a lot less moaning with points-per-game.

‘It would also have given a lot of clubs something to look forward to next season.

‘Now they’ve expunged the results, are they going to give us all our fees back? Because it’s the FA, I’m sure they won’t.

‘It costs thousands to affiliate our teams, and it would be something if the FA said we didn’t have to pay next season, but I’m under no illusions in expecting that to happen.

‘It costs a club like ours around £2,000 just to affiliate to the Southern League, and then you’ve got all the other teams and the youth teams as well - it’s never ending.

‘Before all this blew up, I’d just paid about £200 to the FA to affiliate for next season’s FA Cup.

‘Now we have no sponsorship money coming in. Normally, the money that would be coming in now would help tide us over to the start of next season.

‘I wouldn’t dream of phoning any of our sponsors up and asking for money - they have other things to worry about like their own businesses and paying bills

‘Null and void is a real kick in the teeth for so many people in grassroots football - for all the volunteers who turn up and cut the grass for free, people like that.

‘A small percentage of non-league clubs like ours might have a wealthy benefactor, but 99 per cent of the clubs in grassroots football are like us. I’d like the FA to come down and see clubs like ours and see what a struggle it is.

‘I would have accepted it more if null and void had been the same for everyone. We play by the same rules as Liverpool, don’t we? I don’t know which it’s one rule for the rich and one rule for the others in grassroots football. And why are the National League trying to carry on playing?

‘Why are they trying to continue with the cups? Surely the league is the benchmark, the competition that matters?

‘I’m also told that some of the local kids leagues are deciding whether to honour promotions. That’s also bizarre. The rules are the rules, surely?’

Seiden is also concerned that higher division clubs could potentially lure some of Moneyfields’ most promising reserves away from Dover Road.

After all, having spent this season easily beating most of the opposition, another campaign of potentially doing the same does not exactly sound tempting at present.

Seiden said: ‘I know teams will be sniffing around our reserves because they’ve had a successful season. Teams that have done well but now can’t win promotion could struggle to keep their best players - and we’re in that boat.

‘I would really like to know how the FA came to their decision. Everyone I have spoken to would prefer points-per-game.’

Two clubs that would certainly have preferred it were Maldon and Tiptree and Hastings United.

Maldon were 14 points clear at the top of the Isthmian North Division and heading into the National League.

But now they face another season at step three, despite a brilliant campaign that also included a run to the FA Cup second round.

Chairman Eddy Garty said: ‘We have certainly got to look at legal action. Is there a way we can look at getting the money back we spent?

‘But that's secondary. We're more disappointed in the decision but it does have a huge financial impact on us, as for any club.

‘The FA say it's null and void, it didn't happen. Actually it did happen. Who's going to pay for that? Right now, we are.’

Hastings were top of the Isthmian South East - the same level of the non-league pyramid as Moneyfields - and also had games in hand over their nearest rivals.

Club CEO Billy Wood said: ‘We're a wounded animal at the moment, we've taken a hit and we have to come back fighting.

‘Whether that's through protesting or seeking legal action, we can't rule anything out.

‘We've already started a dialogue with other clubs. It's not just clubs who were set for promotion – other clubs think this is wrong too. Some will miss promotion but have still invested heavily to challenge. They feel the same as we do.

‘Non-league football needs to pull together.’