Matchday Programme: Issue 1 Stephen Rutherford on 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 bittersweet in terms of understanding on one hand cancelling the season was the right thing to do, but for us as a club there 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!

KA: When a return to action was allowed, what kind of work did the backroom staff have to do to make sure they were ready to stage games?

SR: It was a difficult scenario for the club. We had no information as to when the league season would start but we had some sketchy information that the FA Vase might get played before the start of the 2020/21 season. As a result, we decided with the management team and players to come back slightly earlier. We have to give huge credit to our players and staff mind, they’ve completed a 6 week preseason programme. Their approach has been very professional in their planning and the work on the pitch with the strength and conditioning coach, the sports therapist team and of course the management duo of Kevin and Mick. In hindsight it has worked out well. Preseason has brought many challenges though, most of them off-field. We’ve had to amend our schedule on numerous occasions and unfortunately we couldn’t have crowds for the majority of preseason so a big source of income was lost. But we’ve got on with it and fortunately we have had the opportunity to welcome a limited number of fans back in for our final two games.

KA: Was there a challenge in putting together a preseason schedule on shorter notice than the club is used to?

SR: We had a very good schedule organised, but like I previously alluded to, the challenge was more the chopping and changing of games due to other clubs amending their schedules. An example is we had home fixtures scheduled against Whitby Town and Gateshead, but as their league season was delayed until October, we had to cancel as their teams delayed their start to preseason. So then we then had to find alternative clubs. We managed it but it has not been plain sailing.

KA: Now that fans are allowed back into the ground in limited numbers, has it been all hands on deck in implementing the relevant distancing guidelines?

SR: There has been some added pressure this preseason as a result of Covid-19. Non-league Football is almost the same but as a club we have had to adopt new measures to ensure safety of players, staff, officials and of course our spectators. Hand sanitiser stations, two-metre gaps, track and trace, etc. All necessary of course and I’m pleased we are ahead of the game so to speak. We have everything in place. Now we just want to see spectators increase to normal capacity and allow everyone to enjoy the football ahead.

KA: How big of a boost has it been to allow some fans back in? And how keen are the club to see fan number limits lifted?

SR: It was a huge boost! Football without fans is absolutely nothing. We aren’t Premier League or professional and clubs at our level haven’t got the luxury of broadcasting games without fans. We need our loyal support to help the club run. Importantly everyone has missed watching live football and we are overjoyed our fans can now do that. Limitations are lifting from August 31st but we hope sooner rather than later they are removed so we can ensure all people who want to watch us can visit the ground. I firmly believe non-league football will benefit from this scenario in the long term. With the situation making the reintroduction of crowds more complicated at the professional level, we have already seen a 50% increase in season ticket sales. We hope that some of the people who have turned to non-league during this time catch the bug for it and that we will see our average crowd increase over the season. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our fans for their continued dedication and support to our club. Thank You,

Stephen Rutherford