THE majority of West Cork League (WCL) soccer clubs are in favour of completing the 2019/20 season instead of scrapping the campaign.
Following correspondence with the FAI, who has asked all leagues to consult with their clubs to see if the current season should be cancelled or finished when Government sanctions due to the Covid-19 pandemic are lifted, WCL clubs have indicated their preference to finish the campaign, if safe to do so.
The WCL Committee held a video meeting via Zoom last week to discuss their clubs’ preference to complete the 2019/20 season and will now pass this information on to the FAI Steering Group.
If the season is cancelled when current sanctions are lifted, there would be no promotion or relegation – and this would have a direct effect on Championship clubs, Spartak Mossgrove and Mizen AFC, who have already secured promotion to the Premier Division for the 2020/21 season.
In the Premier Division, bottom club Bunratty United have lost all 14 league leagues and are relegated – but they would hold on to their Premier status if the leagues are cancelled. The other relegation spot hasn’t been decided yet.
It’s believed that the WCL committee will wait until they receive confirmation from the FAI before making their next move.
While two options were presented to leagues – cancel the season when sanctions are lifted or finish the season when sanctions are lifted – this, of course, could change depending on when social distancing restrictions are eased because, like the GAA, this also applies to soccer.
Meanwhile, the West Cork Masters League is on hold and it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that the league will be played given the current restrictions. A seven-a-side competition in the winter has been proposed as a possible alternative, if there is appetite from the clubs involved.
