THE CLUB AND COVID-19 The unprecedented pandemic has presented some unique challenges to non-league football that people with many years in the game have never seen. In this feature, Kieran Archer catches up with club director, Stephen Rutherford, to discuss how the backroom staff have kept the club running during this challenging period. KA: Although there was a lot of talk that the Covid-19 pandemic having implications on English football, I remember it being business as usual for the gameweek that was eventually called off as I had been working on a programme. Within the club, were you preparing to play that weekend? And did it come as a shock when the season was suddenly put on hold? SR: We were preparing for a home game against Newcastle Benfield. Ironically, it’s still on the fixtures board at the ground as a reminder of the last competitive league game scheduled before the pandemic. I guess nobody understood the true impact or extent of Covid-19 at the time. I remember we were a little disappointed because the Northern League were one of the first leagues to cancel their schedule, whereas other leagues continued to play for at least another weekend. However, on defection it was the right move. The rest is history as they say. KA: Originally, the club seemed to be preparing for last season to eventually restart including making a signing. What was that limbo period like behind the scenes at the club and what kind of work was being done? SR: We were fully focused on finishing the job that was started. We thought we’d be postponed for a few weeks but then be back at it. We still had something like six or seven league games and a two leg FA Vase semi-final so we wanted to ensure we were in a good spot for the final push. We signed Liam Connell as he was a free agent but also a great ‘keeper. Mark Foden had a hip issue at the time, so we needed to act fast with Vase deadlines in place. Unfortunately for Liam, he signed then the pandemic struck so he didn’t get to play a single minute for us. We wish him well this season at Dunston UTS. KA: When the league season was finally called off. Was it despair or relief? SR: Despair for sure! We had worked hard as a club to meet our objectives to gain promotion and get as far as we could in the FA competitions and we were on track to achieve those objectives. The investment we put into that promotion push both financially and in hours on and off the pitch was huge. For all of that to count for nothing was quite demoralising for everyone. It was bitter sweet in terms of understanding on one hand cancelling the season was the right thing to do, but for us as a club there 18 | @HebburnTown
was a huge feeling of pain that the situation was taken out of our hands and we wouldn’t get to finish what was geared up to be a very good season for the club. KA: What kind of challenges did it pose and what work had to be done, as a football club, not actually having a football match to put on for the best part of around five months? SR: Covid-19 has been tough on everyone in many ways. As a business it was very tough as not only did football stop, but our sports club had to close, staff were furloughed, and all sponsorship agreements were paused. So, from 1st April 2020, for the period of 5 months not a single penny of income was made. Financially it was difficult, some clubs haven’t survived this period which is devastating to hear. It’s always hard to see football clubs get dissolved as we know what they mean to so many people and their communities, especially when it was caused by a situation that was out of their hands. Realising this has made us appreciate that we are one of the fortunate ones. Outside of our business we have seen the impact to the town and our community, and we’ve helped where we can with various initiatives for those most vulnerable. After all football is our main focus but our community will always be a huge priority for us. KA: What was the process of trying to make sure the FA Vase went ahead with the club having a place in the semi-final? Was it just a waiting game on communication from the FA, or did you do quite a lot of liaising with them? SR: I’d probably say there was no process, it was fundamentally a waiting game for all four semi-finalists. The day we heard the semi-finals were postponed we did have a heart in mouth period. There were lots of things racing through our heads: “Is that it?” “Have we been robbed of our chance?” “Will this be the closest we’ll ever come to reaching a final?” There were many lows during this period, however we had to remain positive, and although the FA kept us updated when news was available it was tough waiting. Especially when news of leagues being null & voided and then 2020/21 season plans were being shared. You ask yourself, “will it ever happen?” To be fair to the FA they have come up trumps with a solution and a one leg semi-final instead of two will take place. That’s the main thing, we get a game and a chance!
