‘Staggered’ Bradford Park Avenue hit out at the National League in statement

‘Staggered’ is the word that Bradford Park Avenue used on Friday afternoon as they hit out at the National League in their statement.

The club failed to play three fixtures, which were against Blyth Spartans, Farsley Celtic and Hereford dating back to February when the National League North was in quite the state with no one knowing what was going on, if money was coming in, if it was loans or grants.

Despite pleading that they are guilty, the National League have decided to fine the club, and it’s fair to say that have absolutely let rip at them this afternoon.

“It is a joke we could not financially afford to play those games,” Avenue director of football Martin Knight fumed.

“They lied to us in October and put our club in financial jeopardy. Their solution is to fine us. That is now a player less we can afford next year.

“They should have said the league has been abandoned no harm, no foul. We will keep it on your record as a transgression.

“To then sit down and say they want to fine us £2,000 for each game it is a joke.

“Predicated on a lie from the National League we started the season. When that lie came to fruition, we couldn’t afford to continue so we stopped playing.

“It is unbelievable that they want to fine us, it is an absolute disgrace.”

In Bradford Park Avenue’s statement, it read: “In what can only be described as an incredulous and insensitive decision, the National League today have given the club notice that it has been found guilty of not playing three games and that a fine for each breach is to be applied of £2000.

“The club had offered a clear written explanation on each occasion and submitted a defence based on the financial circumstances surrounding the matches for the disciplinary hearing.

“We will be appealing this travesty of a decision with the FA and are taking legal advice from our lawyers about further action relating to the lies told to the club by the National League at the start of the season relating to grant funding.”

National League Dover have already stopped playing for financial reasons, already placing their management, players, and staff on furlough despite the National League season continuing.

They will play no fixtures until “appropriate funding” is available, after club chairman Jim Parmenter funded Dover since government grants ended in December, but said financial reserves are now exhausted.

“We are operating in unprecedented times. We have to make difficult decisions,” he said.

“We wanted to leave the decision that has been made as long as possible before making this final announcement in the hope a support package may appear.

“Unfortunately no support has been forthcoming, so it is with the deepest regret that the club must now furlough all staff and players and reduce operations to a bare minimum.”

National League clubs were told grants would be replaced by loans from January.

Parmenter told BBC Radio Kent in February that the club had “run out of money” and warned they would only continue with fresh grant funding as “small clubs like Dover just can’t afford to take large loans”.

Last August, Dover made 14 contracted players available on free transfers in a bid to cut costs and ease financial pressures caused by the pandemic.

They have been forced to also send their three loan players – Harry Ransom (Millwall), Ryan Hanson (Hull City), and Oliver Webber (Crystal Palace) – back to their parent clubs.

“For 15 years, I have run the club without debt and I do not intend to change that now,” Parmenter added.

SEE MORE: How the National League table looks if Dover’s results are expunged

Fans reacted as a ‘staggered’ Bradford Park Avenue hit out at the National League in a damning statement…

@avc1956: Disgrace as if clubs aren’t in enough financial trouble 😡

@DimboHarvey: We’re in rough times as it is and now the national come with this it’s absolute ridiculous

@ttowel: I was going to say this is jaw dropping from @TheVanaramaNL but actually it’s entirely predictable. Big changes urgently required before next season.

@andykiko: Outrageous.

@thatcherlover: Crowdfund the hell out of this. Small clubs need help

@PaulBayliss9: Absolute disgrace @TheVanaramaNL

@TrailOfDebt: This is absolutely scandalous from the @TheVanaramaNL. How do you even respond to this? They keep finding new ways to take your breath away with their stupendous incompetence. And the mugs at @Vanarama signed a new sponsorship deal with these imbeciles! 🤣 Both can go in the bin.

@DarranPearce: So it looks like the National League are going to start fining clubs for refusing to play games

@CllrMattBoles: Wowzers 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️

@jb_1411: Fuck The National League.

@TimScales94: Crikey. The lack of sense shown by the National League is beyond belief. First off, there’s the nature of how the season was started and clubs wanting to plough on regardless of what happened to other clubs. Then there’s the loans fiasco. Now this. Braindead.

@vivaledemps: “an incredulous and insensitive decision”, “We will be appealing this travesty of a decision”, “taking legal advice about further action relating to the lies told to the club by the National League”. Has a club statement ever used such… pointed language?

@GabrielRamsey_: Fining a part-time club for not fulfilling matches in a season which was cancelled seems like a ridiculous decision by the National League.

@Keithyboy25: I’m not sure @Vanarama are getting much good PR out the @TheVanaramaNL right now

@ry_bu: What a ridiculous decision, shame on you @TheVanaramaNL

@HantsPilgrim: Can’t wait to see how much the National League fines Dover! 😳

@bpajon: defies any kind of logic or common sense from Billy Smart’s @TheVanaramaNL #uta #pissupinbrewery

@George26011: Dover are fucked too

@MbwLdurham: And what about Dover, that is a joke

@cockneyhatter: FUCK THE NATIONAL LEAGUE

@MbwLdurham: Take legal advice, it could end up costing them more in legal fees then the actual fine, pathetic, admit you was wrong, stopped to early and pay the fine, only your self to blame

Let’s be honest it’s been a few weeks the national league did something stupid so we were overdue. Didn’t expect that mind. https://t.co/JoWuzjaoWO pic.twitter.com/WkLnP0UBwB

— Kevin Luff (@kevinluff) March 26, 2021