National League at risk

Quoted from ginnywings

Doubt the EFL would allow them into the league. Some have only played 14 or 15 games.

The EFL don't have to accept the NL clubs if they believe the conditions are not met

"If any of the foregoing conditions are not met by one or both of the clubs eligible to apply for promotion, the number of Clubs required to retire from League Two may, in the Board’s absolute discretion, be reduced accordingly and no other Clubs from The National League shall be eligible to join The League for the ensuing Season."

One of the conditions is that the "Champions" and play-off winners (by an agreed format) are promoted. I would argue that this means both teams would have played every team twice, or at least enough games to be mathematically in the positions they ended. Nobody can be declared "Champion" if they haven't actually won the league.

The EFL board has the "absolute discretion" to make this decision. Mind you they might fancy going to Torquay more than Cleethorpes.

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

We will see what the outcome is.  In the BBC report I like phases like “overwhelming majority” (of clubs) and “a well-place said that the league is a mess”.

It all hinges on whether the government will give them more grants, which is looking unlikely. If they don't, then the overwhelming majority will simply shut up shop as they have nothing to gain in carrying on. There will be some very miffed clubs who will wail and shout, but they will be few.

BBC reporting 10 million in grants available to Steps 3-6 clubs.
And loans to steps 1-2

We know how much of a mess it can be getting games on in non-league during the winter, as most teams have played different amount of games.

Torquay have played the 2nd most amount of games this season with 19.

25th Jan, 2020.
Torquay drew 0-0 with Ebbsfleet, this was Torquay's 32nd game of the season....

Huge difference already

Good summary of where we are from Yeovil Facebook page
National League Season Hanging By A Thread
Crunch time is here, and unless the National League can persuade DCMS to convert the proffered £11 million loan into a grant in the next day or so it is set to ask its member clubs to vote on whether to terminate the season. Now this may partly be a tactic; an attempt to encourage backbench MPs (a number whom have already lobbied the minister on behalf of their local club) to continue ratcheting up the pressure to get DCMS to change its terms. But it is also inevitable that, if it does not, the question of ending the season will have to be put to the vote - and the outcome of that vote is close to certain. North and South will definitely pull the plug; and only a small number of Premier clubs have even hinted so far they might be prepared to consider continuing just on loans. The National League is now preparing for that ballot - obviously while hoping it will not be needed.
There is a major problem with the likelihood of DCMS U-turning, and so far it has given no indication that it is prepared to. Although - and journalist Ollie Bayliss has put in a Freedom of Information Act request for all the agendas and minutes of meetings, correspondence, and internal e-mails between and within DCMS and the National League - the details of the terms of the agreement have not yet been made public, DCMS is so far sticking to the line that loans is what was always on the table and that's what the National League executive agreed to. If this is indeed the case, whether through gullibility, incompetence or simple sheer stupidity, the executive is in a weak position to argue for a renegotiation now. There has been a suggestion that the terms "loans" and "grants" were not being used back in the autumn discussions, only the word "funding". If that is backed up by what emerges from the FIA request it may give the NL a bit of leverage. Though does beg the question why, as the supplicant for money, it didn't get clarification; and appears to have done nothing in the months that followed to clarify the situation either.
A further concern is whether, as more emerges, MPs will be quite as forthcoming in lobbying if it turns out the NL executive has been a bit economical with its interpretation of events. For example, Helen Grant, a former Minister for Sport and Tourism, had appeared sympathetic, and was one of those lobbying and writing a letter to DCMS on behalf of a local club, in her case Maidstone United. However today in parliament she appeared to have greater concerns about the competence of the National League Board, referring to its distribution of the National Lottery funding as "flawed" and a "botch". Few MPs are likely to be particularly enthusiastic about nailing their colours to any mast of perceived NLB incompetence.

I genuinely think our only hope of staying up is if the National League gets curtailed.

Fingers crossed it happens tbh, although it'd result in one hell of a boring end of season for us.

I can take a boring end to this season.

https://twitter.com/official_darlo/status/1354368246477160451?s=21

NLN & NLS have been told their season with restart on Saturday 6th February.

All well & good telling clubs that, but who’s paying for it?

I’m afraaaaaaaaaid it’s got to be austerity for the National League.

Avoid at all costs, run by amateurs who haven’t got a clue