THE Cymru Leagues season could take a step closer to being finalised on Friday afternoon.
There are set to be ‘information sharing’ meetings with representatives from clubs in the Cymru Premier and Cymru North as a resolution to the 2019/20 campaign is sought.
Two representatives from each of the 28 teams are set to sit in on the meetings, which come on May 15 - the day the domestic campaign is officially suspended until.
However, Wales still remains in lockdown, while sport in England is only set to resume behind closed doors from June 1 - meaning a resolution must be found for the top tiers of the game in this country.
There are suggestions that each club will have one vote, although what exactly they will be asked to vote on is yet to be revealed.
Huw Griffiths, who swapped the Cefn Druids hotseat for Caernarfon’s in February, can’t see how behind closed doors action is feasible for Welsh football.
“Supporters pay wages at clubs and the revenue they bring in is crucial,” said Griffiths, pictured.
“The only potential solution for behind closed doors football is videoing games and streaming them online with people paying to watch.”
Asked whether he wants the Cymru Leagues to resume, Griffiths continued: “From a selfish point of view you’d say yes, because we’ve got two good chances to qualify for Europe with the play-offs and Welsh Cup.
“But when you look at the bigger picture, football is not the be-all and end-all.
“The English Premier League are trying to restart, but there is so much money in the game at the top and they can cope with the testing.
“How do we in the Welsh system do what they are doing? I’m not sure how it can end with lockdown and behind closed doors football the only real option.
“The FAW will be desperate to get the season finished because they will want the European places and there is the coefficient to consider.”
If, as widely expected, the campaign fails to return, declaring the season null and void, and calculating the standings on a points per game basis for those unfulfilled fixtures are possible options.
“When the season was suspended we were on a roll, we’d found a shape that was working,” said Griffiths.
“We were confident, that although we might not have caught Bala, we’d have finished about Barry and Newtown to finish in fourth.
“We also had a Welsh Cup semi-final to play.”
Could, if the standings are finalised using a points per game system, the end of season play-offs - and even Welsh Cup semi-finals, be played at a neutral venue behind closed doors?
“I’d be willing to do something like that,” said Griffiths. “But if we’d have finished fourth in a normal season we’d have had home advantage in the play-off semi-finals and the Cofi Army play a big part.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here