League season to remain paused but FA Trophy tie goes ahead

The Northern Premier League has confirmed that the league season will remain paused, following the latest tier guidance from the Government.

57 of the 61 NPL clubs voted to continue the pause, which has been in effect since the start of the second lockdown, after the new tier system meant that clubs in tier 3 could not welcome fans back in to grounds.

The situation will continue to be reviewed in line with Government announcements, while the league has set further reviews for December 16 and December 30. The hope is that a date in January can be set for a return to fixtures, with clubs who wish being allowed to play before that date, but this will not be until there is a change in the tier system.

The statement also confirmed: “The Government has allocated £25m to Sport England to fund Steps 1 to 6 of the National Leagues System, of which £14m is set for Steps 3-6 but is heavily weighted in favour of loans, not grants. The FA is working tirelessly with DCMS and Sport England to have the funding presented as Grants. However, these negotiations take time, and it is not expected to have an answer or clarification of details of even the loans until mid-January.”

However, Warrington Town will return to action on Tuesday December 8 with an FA Trophy tie away at Marske United.

This game will take place behind closed doors with a 7pm kick-off.

Live audio commentary will be provided via The Yellows Mixlr channel, with the usual live Twitter updates.

The squad resumed training earlier this week after the restrictions were relaxed at the end of the lockdown period.