With football teams at grassroots level returning to training, it would appear that some are not adhering to the strict guidelines laid down by the Football Association.

KSN has been talking to the chairman of Anchorians FC who are one of Kent’s biggest grassroots clubs with nearly eighty sides and are currently staggering a return to training for their teams but only after completing stringent risk assessments and planning.

Chairman Leigh Willis expressed the concerns of many when he told us, “It upsets me that some clubs haven’t followed the guidance to make their sessions as safe as I hope we have.”

“I think that it does need addressing and I think it would be whistle-blowing to a degree as I don’t believe that some of the clubs’ committees know what’s going on, it’s just the coaches doing things off of their own backs without the realisation that if you don’t follow the guidance that the FA have published to the letter, as if they don’t follow them to the letter.”

“God forbid that a player would get injured or even worse contract Covid-19 at a training session and then the authorities trace it back to find out that they haven’t been following the guidance, the club’s insurance won’t pay out so therefore the club themselves will be liable – they don’t seem to realise that and what they’re doing!”

“It’s a knock on effect and the rules are there for a reason and not just being made up for the sake of it. It is frustrating, but I guess that this is the case with all of this current situation that everyone had their own opinions – some believe it’s nothing and doesn’t affect kids and doesn’t do this and doesn’t do that and others are we’re not going out at all now.”

“So I’m afraid that I do find it very tough that a small minority that are not following the rules and potentially could ruin it for others.”

“The feedback that we’ve had so far on the measures that we’ve put in place, primarily is to thank us even with the restrictions in place. I’ts mainly just thankful for the players to get back – they’re just so happy to be back, to see their friends, and to be out and be active – people have been so grateful that we’ve taken the time to do it.”

“You look around the local parks and some teams and clubs have been back training for a few weeks, but sadly they’re not following the guidance; they’re playing matches and not social distancing – I’ve seen kids as young as under eights or nines playing normal training sessions and it’s left me thinking… it’s pretty scary really, but makes me even more grateful that we’ve carried out as much as we have done to make sure our players are safe.”

“For a lot of our youngsters, they’re not going back to school until September and the training sessions are their only interaction with their peers and of those who could have gone back, I think it’s about half of those have actually gone back.”

“There has been a lot of isolation with a lot of kids trying to do the home schooling but if the parents are working as well everyone finds it very difficult and so a lot of them have been left to their own devices and that usually means on Playstations or X-Box’s trying to find their own entertainments, really socially distanced in their own bedrooms which makes a return to training their first real outlet to get out and get some activity and wellbeing as well as their mental side, as well as they get used to be social again and being outside.”

Meanwhile, Darryl Haden, The CEO of the Kent FA, has issued the following open letter to clubs: