Poppies confirm they will NOT play until National League grants issue is resolved

Kettering Town say they won't play any National League North matches until the situation over grants for clubs is resolved.

It is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the National League, which has been plunged into chaos after it was confirmed that clubs will have to apply for a loan to keep the season going instead of receiving grants which they say they were led to believe would be forthcoming.

On Monday, the National League confirmed clubs would be voting to decide the fate of the current campaigns in the National League, North and South with the voting process open for 28 days.

The Poppies haven't confirmed which way they have voted and while they insist they would be happy to play on if grants become available and they also say they have put their case to Sport England.

But, for the time being, the club believe they can't participate in matches until the situation is resolved.

In a lengthy statement, the Poppies said: "The 2020/21 season was started following extensive discussions with the National League, taking into account everyone’s concerns over the pandemic and the likely outcome that games would be played behind closed doors.

"The outcome of these discussions was that it was not financially viable for clubs to operate without financial support, which was ultimately provided by grants from The National Lottery.

"At the time, the message presented to clubs via the National League, was clear. Grants would be paid from October through December (inclusive) and that a further review would take place in December to see if the situation had improved and if not grants would continue.

"The season started with the country gripped by the pandemic with matches being played behind closed doors.

"Roll forward to January 2021 and Covid is still rampant across the country and gates remain closed to fans.

"Everything therefore pointed to the expectation that grants would continue. Unfortunately there has now been a change in approach and we as a club are being offered the opportunity to apply for a loan rather than be awarded a grant.

"The original concept of the grant system was to ensure that clubs could survive these unusual circumstances, with the clear aim of ensuring that no club should be financially impacted by starting the season. The introduction of a loan scheme means that every club who takes one will be impacted, potentially for the next 20 years.

"The board has worked hard over the past five years to get the club’s finances into a better position and we do not want to return to the days that risked the club’s existence.

"If we had known at the start of the season that there would be a back track on promises made, then we would not have started it and would have taken the consequences.

"The board contacted Sports England last week, making our position clear in that we need grants and not loans, with information supporting our stance. Why would any business take a loan to continue to operate? Basically we are being subjected to a restriction of trade without any viable financial support.

"The board have therefore reluctantly made the decision that we will NOT participate in any future matches until this situation is resolved, either with the grants we need being made available or the gates re-opening to fans.

"This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we genuinely hope that this matter can be resolved quickly.

"We will be working hard to secure the grants we need in the next week or so but the final decision and the process is out of our hands and will take time.

"All being well we will have minimal games to reschedule but we can’t take to the pitch until the final decision is known, as to do so would simply run up financial commitments that are not in the club’s best interest.

"We appreciate that this update will come as a shock to many of our fans but we hope you understand the reasons for the stance. We want to keep Kettering Town FC alive and that means making difficult decisions. Further updates will follow as appropriate."

Kettering had been scheduled to host Chester on Saturday and Leamington next Tuesday night.