Its not just professional football returning this weekend, the season also starts for many of the thousands of who regularly play on their local parks and recreation grounds as grassroots football returns in earnest across the county.

It’s been a long way back for the grassroots game and we’ve been talking to Matt Dixon, the Secretary of the Miles and Barr Thanet Sunday Football League about the journey that their League has taken towards their relaunch this weekend.

We started by asking about the League structure and if COVID19 has had any effect. “If it has, its been in the positive way,” Matt told us, “because we have thirty-four teams for the coming season which is the most we’ve had in a long time.

“Player numbers seem to be equally high if not higher than we’ve had before, it seems that players who have not had football for coming up to six months now are desperate to get back and they’ve not missed it enough not to get back and not play anymore.

“There’s a handful that perhaps fall into that category, but team wise, its probably the most we’ve had for five or six seasons.”

Turning to the work going on behind the scenes just to get Sunday football back to Thanet, Matt told us, “We’ve been waiting for the guidelines that came through from the FA, we’re obviously desperate to get back playing again with players chomping at the bit who haven’t played since our last season finished back on March 15^th.”

“We’ve had to abide by the guidelines that have been given out with no training I think it was August 1^st but just in small groups and as soon as August 1^st hit, we were allowed to do pre-season friendlies… and we were inundated with teams requesting them.

“Pitches proved a little bit hard initially, but teams were “happy” to play whenever and wherever they could. All that then fell in line with the guidelines so that we could officially start competitive matches as in League’s could “officially” start from last Tuesday (September 1^st), so we’re all set to go Sunday morning!”

“All League secretaries across the country were issued with guidelines on what needed to be done which was nothing like any of us had ever seen before on what we needed to do and what needed to be done.

“An email was drafted to all our clubs which told them what we needed them to do and what needed to be done from my part, all clubs have had to appoint a COVID19 officer who is responsible to completing a very lengthy risk assessment, thankfully the FA sent a template through so at least clubs didn’t have to create their own!”

“To get to where we are now, theres been a lot of work behind the scenes in these, and I think in a phrase that’s been used a lot recently, in  unprecedented times for how Leagues have got to where we are now.

“Nearly all Leagues have had to do virtual AGM’s during the summer which has been another challenge, but we’ve utilised the technology available where we can. All the meetings that we’d normally have, with new clubs; with new secretaries, that would “normally” have been face to face, have had to be done virtually – all things that previously we would have taken for granted in the past.”

“It really has all been a challenge but as my final lines to the teams were “this is the way that we’ve got to do it going forward or we don’t play!” Teams are so desperate to get back playing as I said before that they’ve all, in our League at least, done thankfully done the necessary to get back playing again. So, fingers crossed we’ll be ready for Sunday!”

“Having played in the League for a number of years before becoming Secretary, I’d like to think that I’ve got a lot if friends in the League anyway but it really is just a question that teams want to play.

“We’ve had to look at staggered kick offs at one of our main venues (Jackie Bakers) where there are seven pitches but we have a couple of venues that haven’t allowed us to return at this time notably schools who have said that for the time being they’re out of action until the end of the month and possibly even October.

“We’ve no changing rooms available; venues have to got to accommodate, and have toilet facilities to be available; teams must arrive in their kit which is a challenge in itself as many teams will have enough kit to hand out to players for them for go away and potentially not turn up the following week leaving teams short of kit.”

“Lots of little bits and pieces that have all mounted up, but we’re getting there!”