Please be advised that following the announcement by the Prime Minister asking everyone to limit unnecessary social contact, the Board of Directors have decided to suspend all football in Somerset with immediate effect from March 16th.

This includes Somerset County Cup Competitions and all Coach Education Courses. Club Training should also be avoided.

County staff will likely be working from home in the near future, they will be available on email and mobile numbers found here.

At present this suspension is indefinite, we will advise you if and when there is a change to this situation. 

We do not make this decision lightly and are aware of the importance of sport and football in general to everyone, however it does not compare to the wider picture and everyone’s welfare, therefore this is we believe the correct course of action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this include training?

Yes. We have all been asked to avoid unnecessary social contact and try to put “social distancing” in place; obviously if you train that becomes difficult at best if not impossible.

Can we play friendlies?

No. Playing friendlies would be no different than playing a league or cup match, so if we are going stop matches to avoid unnecessary social contact this has to include friendlies.

Does this include small sided games?

Yes. Small sided games are the same as “ordinary” football just with a slightly smaller number of people taking part so the same reasons for suspension apply.

Are coaching and training courses run by Somerset FA taking place?

No. These courses are also suspended until further notice. The FA will investigate if some of the content can be moved into an online format, but that will not be immediately. If you are booked onto a course and have a questions please contact Megan Buller.

When will football start again?

We don’t know. What’s more no one does at this moment in time. Obviously we would all love to start playing again but that may not be for some time. We will of course keep you informed as and when we get information.

What will happen to league/cup I am playing in this season?

As above we don’t yet know. This will depend to a large extent with the answer to the point above. Ultimately the final decision will be for your individual league or competition, and they probably haven’t even begun to think about it yet and as mentioned don’t have any facts to base a decision on at present. For those of you in county cup competitions, they are of course suspended and we will make a decision on what we do with them when we have more information.

What about the Somerset FA County Office?

Somerset FA have decided that in line with government advice to avoid unnecessary social contact to close our offices. However while the office is closed we remain 'at work', consequently all of our staff are now working from home. We are available on our email address and mobile phone number (where they are listed) these contact details can be found here, so please contact us if you have any questions.

During this period we will be updating our website, our Twitter and Facebook with all information.

This does mean that we are not picking up any post, so if you can please don’t send hard copy items to us as we won’t be able to read them

Treasury Guidance for Clubs

• Grant funding of £25,000 is available for hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.
• A 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England will be introduced.
• The government is bringing forward legislation to allow SMEs to reclaim statutory sick pay paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19. Employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible (further information to follow).
• Businesses in financial distress with outstanding tax liabilities may be eligible to receive support with their tax affairs through HMRC’s 'Time To Pay' service. Please call the dedicated helpline: 0800 0159 559 who can help with any tax deferrals and revised payback schedule.
• Businesses that have insurance for both pandemics and government-ordered closure should be covered. However, the impact of government advice on mass gatherings in terms of insurance is yet to be confirmed. Please check your individual insurance policy.
• For further support, please visit the government’s support for businesses page or contact your local authority which will be issued with guidance to help businesses in their area.

Coronavirus Advice

For up-to-date information on Coronavirus please visit the NHS webpages below.

Coronavirus information