England secured their place in the World Cup quarter-finals and are two games away from a place in the final on Sunday 18 December, potentially clashing with hundreds of grassroots games.
The World Cup final will kick-off at 3pm UK time and, due to the tournament taking place in winter, will clash with Sunday afternoon grassroots football games. Many junior and youth leagues are scheduled to play their final round of fixtures before the Christmas break over the weekend of 17/18 December.
Players and coaches will not want to be away from a screen during a potential World Cup final featuring the Three Lions. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime event for those not old enough to remember 1966. Realistically, there would be a lot of late dropouts for any match that clashes.
Who Makes the Call?
Different local leagues will have their own rules in place regarding the postponement and rearrangement of games. Some allow teams a set number of allowed postponements throughout the season, while others demand evidence that a team absolutely cannot be fielded on a set date (and may follow up on that).
Officially, the decision is with the leagues’ fixture secretaries to make the call as to whether they would be willing to accommodate numerous postponements and find space in the calendar to rearrange fixtures. Players and parents, though, are under no obligation to make themselves available.
That means that the decision to postpone games could be taken out of the hands of the leagues and clubs, with few players available to play matches – particularly if they directly clash with the final.
Meet in the Middle
It may be possible to meet in the middle to avoid postponing a complete round of fixtures outright. Some clubs have already started to explore the possibility of moving afternoon fixtures to the morning, thus allowing time for players, parents, and coaches to get back and watch the final.
There are, however, only so many pitches available and regular matches kicking off at 2pm on a Sunday will be the third game to be played on the pitch that day. It certainly wouldn’t be possible to move every game forward to a 10am kick-off, but it would help to ease the headache of fixture secretaries up and down the country.
Another avenue worth exploring could be to investigate the possibility of playing as many Sunday fixtures as possible on the Saturday. Again, this may not be possible due to current schedules, both in terms of facilities and participants, but could be something worth looking into for those desperate to get their games played without having to squeeze another game in somewhere in the new year.
When Should Plans be Made?
We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, England are only in the quarter-finals and could very well be on their way home after this coming Saturday, making this a moot point. That being said, the World Cup final is the biggest fixture in the football calendar and regardless of whether Gareth Southgate’s England are in the final or not, every football fan will likely want to watch.
Even if England do beat France, they would still have a semi-final to navigate on Wednesday 14 December, leaving just a few days to implement postponements considering a positive result. That means that leagues if they do opt to move fixtures around, should already have a plan in place and many likely already will.
It is a unique World Cup for many reasons, including the time of year it is being played. Should England reach a first World Cup final since 1966, potentially winning the tournament, players, coaches, and all fans should be allowed to enjoy what would be a momentous occasion for English football. Just as we encouraged everyone to get behind the Lionesses in the summer, we should do the same for the men – especially if they are on the cusp of creating even more history.
