Beating the odds: East Sussex Football League aims to start on time in September

ESFL teams are keen to get the new campaign under way

An FA announcement last weekend said grassroots leagues can commence in September - as long as the necessary risk assessments and comprehensive plans are in place.

The East Sussex League hopes its intended Saturday September 5 start date will be agreed at its annual general meeting on Monday night (July 27).

Fixture secretary Kevin Bray said: "We're planning to start the first week in September.

"It's given us four or five weeks to try and get everything sorted out. There's a lot of little things to be sorted out, but it's good news we can get back playing."

Bray had said earlier in the month that the league hoped to start on schedule in early September, but had no idea if it would be allowed to do so.

Last weekend's FA announcement, however, has removed much of the uncertainty and enabled planning for the new campaign to start moving forward.

Clubs will be allowed to play friendly fixtures from August 1 in preparation for the start of the league programme, but the matchday environment will be rather different from what players have become used to.

The conditions of play resuming include changing rooms not being used (in most cases), first aiders wearing PPE, players and officials sanitising hands before and after matches, and the contact details of everybody attending games being recorded for NHS Test and Trace purposes.

Bray has also been contacting local councils to check if their pitches - which are used by many of the league's teams - will be ready for play by September.

Some sides who share their grounds with cricket clubs may find they can't play at home straight away - if the cricket season overruns following its delayed start.

A proposed composition of divisions for the new season has been sent out to clubs and the line-up will be decided at the league's AGM, which will be hosted online by the Sussex County FA.

"Everything's a little behind schedule and we'll be trying in the next five weeks to get everything caught up," added Bray