Steve King column: What are National League clubs voting for?

Dartford manager Steve King pens his latest exclusive column in The Non-League Paper…
So at last we have had communication from the National League on how our season is to be concluded.
Clubs are being asked to vote on ending all the regular season fixtures from now. This may be a simple request, however we don’t know what the consequences of doing that will be.
We have been told by the league if their first proposal of cancelling all remaining fixtures up to April 25 is supported then we will be given a further set of options for how the campaign is to be concluded. But at the moment they are not currently outlining what those proposals are.
We need to know what the situation with promotion and relegation will be first. Until we’re in a position to see those proposals we shouldn’t be voting in any way to finish the regular season. Clubs could be inadvertently sealing their own fate without realising.
As football people we would all like our seasons to be finished on the football pitch when guidance is to do so.
Moves have been made by the Premier League and the EFL where they are starting to look at timelines for returning. They will be getting advice from very experienced and professional people – they won’t be plucking dates out of the air.
I don’t see, though, why if they go back – with more games to play – we can’t resume our season as well. It would be easier to manage at this level.
That would allow us to get the same resolution as the Premier League and the EFL. We all want to win and get promotions the right way.
Why would clubs vote to end the season now without seeing the circumstances? Let’s look at each division. In the National League, probably down to Bromley in 13th place, everyone will feel if the season resumes they all have a chance of the play-offs.
Certainly the bottom four of the National League are not going to vote to end the season now as they will possibly sign and seal their own relegation.
We should all be treated in the same way. We all come under the same umbrella of the National League. There shouldn’t be one outcome for Step 1 and another for Step 2. The same pandemic has stopped us all playing football. It should be the same outcome.
In the National League North, all the teams down to Darlington and, in the South, down to Hemel Hempstead will fancy their chances of breaking into the top seven.
I’ve been talking to a lot of managers about this. The way a number of us feel is we aren’t going to make the decision to close off our season until we know what the proposals are. Why would we do it before knowing? We want to play the season out.
Clubs haven’t had income for more than a month now. Everyone has four or five home games left – that’s vital revenue. At Dartford we’re missing out on functions, restaurants, 3G pitches we hire out and we’ve got a nine-hole golf course on the site too. So those extra games would be good for us.
We still don’t know how we get around the player contract situation. Will it be the players currently registered for season 2019-20 finishing the season? That would be a good way without new players being able to come in.
To some it might feel like the season is over and there is nothing to play for. But there is. If we can start back when it is safe then there is the potential to bring in revenue.
At the moment, we’re not getting any money from anywhere else to help. The Premier League are only advancing the first solidarity payment of next season. Speaking to other managers and chairmen, we thought we’d be getting a bit more help financially. Hopefully that will come in due course.
But, before that, clubs must really take time to think how they cast their vote to close the season right now. What will the consequences be?