The Government have announced from the 31st December more areas will move into Tier 4
These include Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester
Please see the full list here
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/full-list-of-local-restriction-tiers-by-area
The FA issued guidance in relation to Tier 4 on 30th December
https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/dec/23/covid-19-tier-4-update-231220
How does this effect grassroots football and the BBDFL members?
All U7 to U18 games can continue to take place, BUT teams can only play other teams in the same County boundary as themselves and must not play teams from other regions as the home or away team
U19s and above is immediately suspended which unfortunately means our U21s and the many adult teams in the region who cannot train or play
For U7s to U18s outdoor training and play is allowed, but this is not allowed indoors which may affect training for these teams
In addition many venues will be forced to close and as such clubs are asked to check with their particular venue and circumstances
The league will now look to match GM teams with GM and lancs with lancs etc so as many teams as possible from U7s to U18s can still play
Please bear with us though as this is a logistical nightmare for age group secretaries