The Covid-19 pandemic has left the current campaign in tatters and looks set to wreak havoc with next term too, as ongoing restrictions on cross-Channel movement and mass gatherings are a distinct likelihood.
Bulls officials have approached the Government of Jersey to establish which measures may have to be implemented at Springfield – if supporters are indeed allowed to attend when football returns – and club chairman Russell Le Feuvre admits that travel and quarantine measures must be overcome if they are to continue as normal.
The Islanders are still awaiting news on their fate in the tenth tier of English pyramid after having their 100% record – and promotion from Combined Counties League Division I – erased by the FA. Potential promotions and relegations from EFL divisions – and the need to replace expelled League One club Bury – could well trickle down to Bulls in Step 6 of the National League ladder.
‘Nothing has really concluded in the EFL [Championship to League Two] yet so we still don’t know what’s going to happen at our level,’ said Le Feuvre.
‘At this time of year the FA usually decide on the constitution for the next season – which teams will be in which leagues and whether any make lateral moves – but that has been delayed until they know exactly what is happening further up. That will affect decisions at our level.
‘No one seems to know, it has gone very quiet.’
Whether Bulls will be promoted is a concern matched by what could be substantial financial losses through closed-door football – and a potential hike in flight costs to the mainland. But Le Feuvre says the club will find a way through, with the FA’s help.
‘We’re averaging just under 700 people at home games and that is a revenue stream which we have had consistently in our first season,’ he explained. ‘Going into next season we need to bear that in mind … if that revenue stream is taken away we will need to look at alternatives, like whether we play a lot of our initial games away from home. There are lots of different scenarios.’
He added: ‘I’ve heard that one or two teams have folded and a couple have merged, I think. Sports clubs at all levels are finding it more difficult at the moment but as a club we are in a strong position and we are not going to sit out next season. We have built up a good brand with the help of lots of people in Jersey, a club we are proud of and the FA will be willing to work with us to make sure we are a part of the league next year.’
