To stop or carry on? Eastbourne Borough's role in the National League saga explained

It’s complicated and legalistic. In fact, it would keep a dusty Dickensian probate solicitor absorbed for hours. But it has left football fans and administrators scratching their heads.
This is all Eastbourne Borough really want to do / Picture: Lydia RedmanThis is all Eastbourne Borough really want to do / Picture: Lydia Redman
This is all Eastbourne Borough really want to do / Picture: Lydia Redman

The National League, and its 66 member clubs, are grappling with the options for keeping their season open – or indeed, for shutting it down. And this week, they have been presented with a set of crucial votes.

Never mind the ifs and buts. It comes down to a couple of questions. Should the season end now? and can the three separate divisions decide their own fate – or will they find a decision thrust upon them?

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At the top, the Step 1 National League seems virtually certain to continue. Clubs in that division are bigger – most are full-time – and they are desperate to maintain their promotion pathway to the EFL’s Division Two.

Dave Blackmore and John Bonar listen to the latest on ZoomDave Blackmore and John Bonar listen to the latest on Zoom
Dave Blackmore and John Bonar listen to the latest on Zoom

At Eastbourne Borough’s Step 2 level, opinions are more divided. Many National North clubs, weary of the struggle to stay open without spectators, are ready to shut up shop and start afresh next season. But in National South the mood is more optimistic.

Pacesetters Dorking Wanderers – who have built a squad designed for promotion – are urging their fellow clubs to vote yes to keeping the season alive. Why abandon a winning momentum, and – even for clubs lower down the table – why give up now on a league programme which has succeeded against the odds?

Despite having to play behind closed doors, National South clubs have doggedly obeyed all the rules and protocols. Relatively few fixtures have had to be called off – and the prospects for easing the lock-down constraints seem steadily more optimistic.

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This week, all clubs have been weighing up the options. Votes on a series of propositions are imminent – because of a technicality in National League rules, clubs have 28 days, but in reality the key decisions will probably be clear by this weekend.

Did we just say clear? Like some hidden clue in the Agatha Christie plot that you very nearly missed, the issue is that all clubs need to agree – and a No can cancel a Yes. What if National South votes to press on, but National North opts to shut down? Could one division really soldier on? What if, in Borough’s division, fifteen clubs want to continue but half-a-dozen clubs refuse to play on?

By a wry coincidence, the National League’s daunting bundle of resolution options landed in clubs’ inboxes on Monday evening – part-way through the infamous BBC2 Intellectual Night of Mastermind, Only Connect and University Challenge. By comparison, those shows are child’s play….

But what of the great minds at Priory Lane? Eastbourne Borough, enjoying a successful campaign so far, have worked hard to keep the season alive – and they are not minded to give up now.

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Here’s CEO John Bonar: “We are looking at the finer detail, but we have not ruled out continuing, even with the proposed loans replacing the previous Government grant support. We’ve been prudent, and our financial commitments for January were all covered.

“Some clubs in the North are being greedy. They want more funding than is realistically on the table. Just one example is their Covid-19 testing. In fact every club had a £15,000 grant at the start of the season, to include testing. If they spent that money on other things, then more fool them.

“Now those clubs in National North are saying they’ll refuse to play this Saturday as instructed. But the South is looking more positive – I believe only three, possibly four clubs in our Division want to end the season now.

“But the only way we can continue playing football is if we vote en bloc. The 23 National League clubs have a vote each, but the South and North have just four votes between them in each division. Now, to reach the required 75% majority and carry on, we need four Yes votes from the South. It will be tight.”

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Is there a scenario where the National South continues, but not the North? “We’ve asked that question, but I can’t see it. Logistically it has to be all or nothing.”

And can Borough stay afloat financially, with no crowds and with the previous grant withdrawn? “We are waiting to get the finer details. But the terms of the Sport England loan are not unfavourable. It would extend over either ten or twenty years, at low interest and with an initial repayment holiday of up to four years.

“When you apply, it is not for a grant or a loan, but for funding. It can be a hybrid. You submit your needs, and that is what is considered. We budget cautiously as a club, and we have enough in the bank now to pay the players. If we are given a Sport England loan, it could certainly be put to good use, as at any other club, but our financial position is pretty robust."

He added: “We are trying to explore all options and all opportunities. We have worked so hard this far, and we’re not about to throw in the towel. Priory Lane is a football ground, and our football season is not dead yet.”