New Mills boss says non-league football needs to be given 'a fair crack of the whip'

That is the view of New MIlls boss Dave Birch who says the non-league structure has been forgotten by the powers that be.

Birch has been left disappointed by how quickly leagues across the non-league structure were null and voided in comparison to the ongoing saga of how to play out the remainder of the professional season.

“I think the non-league game has been forgotten by the powers that be, all the talk has been about getting the Premier League restarted.

“The Championship is up and running and they are sorting out play-offs for League One and Two now, which is great as we need to get normality back.

“But I have seen what has been happening in the Conference and it seems a shambles. Our league was just null and void straight away and not a care in the world was given about it.

“Fair enough it was null and voided for safety reasons, but I just think non league has been forgotten about and I hope when we restart we get a fair crack of the whip.”

Thousands of volunteers, players, coaches and committee members up and down the land dedicated their lives to the club they love last season.

And Birch is keen that their commitment is given the respect it deserves when football finally resumes across the non-league game.

“There's a lot of people who work hard in non league and a lot of people who put money into it,” he said.

“Non league is a massive part of people’s lives and I hope they take that into consideration.

“Someone has decided to just cut non-league off and there is a lot of finance that goes into it.

“Obviously it is not on the level of the Premier League but to a club like New Mills, it’s a lot of money what is spent.

“I hope non-league gets the respect it deserves when we restart, in the same way the professional game is treated. It is a big part of people’s lives.

“There are volunteers who turn out week in week out, we have people who put the kits out, we have a groundsman who volunteers to look after the pitch full-time.

“They fought long and hard to get the Premier League up and running , but non league was just cut-off. It leaves a sour taste for me.”

That is the view of New MIlls boss Dave Birch who says the non-league structure has been forgotten by the powers that be.

Birch has been left disappointed by how quickly leagues across the non-league structure were null and voided in comparison to the ongoing saga of how to play out the remainder of the professional season.

“I think the non-league game has been forgotten by the powers that be, all the talk has been about getting the Premier League restarted.

“The Championship is up and running and they are sorting out play-offs for League One and Two now, which is great as we need to get normality back.

“But I have seen what has been happening in the Conference and it seems a shambles. Our league was just null and void straight away and not a care in the world was given about it.

“Fair enough it was null and voided for safety reasons, but I just think non league has been forgotten about and I hope when we restart we get a fair crack of the whip.”

Thousands of volunteers, players, coaches and committee members up and down the land dedicated their lives to the club they love last season.

And Birch is keen that their commitment is given the respect it deserves when football finally resumes across the non-league game.

“There's a lot of people who work hard in non league and a lot of people who put money into it,” he said.

“Non league is a massive part of people’s lives and I hope they take that into consideration.

“Someone has decided to just cut non-league off and there is a lot of finance that goes into it.

“Obviously it is not on the level of the Premier League but it is all relative and to a club like New Mills it’s a lot of money what is spent.

“I hope non-league gets the respect it deserves when we restart, in the same way the professional game is treated. It is a big part of people’s lives.”

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