Middlesex FA Premier Cup - 2019/20

[Rhodes]

As it is looking increasingly unlikely that we will be seeing a conclusion to the Middlesex FA Premier Cup competition this season, here are over 500 photographs from last season's Final between Harefield United and Cockfosters Reserves, played at Uxbridge FC on 30 April 2019, which Harefield United won 2-1:

 

[Rhodes]

And also YouTube highlights from last season's Final:

 

[Rhodes]

The Middlesex FA have issued an update, there is no news as yet on whether this season's Middlesex FA Premier Cup is likely to be completed but I gather that is still the hope unlike with the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Berks & Bucks FA's who made the early decision to abandon all their cup competitions:

Dear All,

We would like to start this update by sending our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those within the Middlesex football family who have sadly passed away, as a result of Covid-19. Our thoughts are with everyone that has been affected by the virus at this very difficult time. We would also like to express our thanks to all the key workers out there, we have a huge amount of respect and gratitude for everything you have done and continue to do. 

Over the last two months we have been committed to produce a support package that safeguards the future of the game in our County, Middlesex. I have personally experienced the challenges you all have through my role as Club Secretary/ Treasurer seeing no income for the club during these unprecedented circumstances. With this in mind, we have had to be creative across the organisation to ensure our plan supports you best.  

We are delighted to confirm the following decisions have been approved to help support you, our clubs, leagues and the wider grassroots game for the 2020/21 season. We see this is an opportunity for the Middlesex Football Family to come back stronger as we value the hard work you all do across the County in the nation’s favourite game. 

• Free club and team affiliation for the 2020/21 season
• Free entry to all County Cups
• Free Public Liability Insurance
• Discounted Personal Accident Insurance through our new insurance partner ‘UKGlobal’ (further details will be distributed when affiliation opens)
• Free League Sanctioning
• Free Referee Personal Accident Insurance

Our number one priority since lockdown has been to ensure everyone stays safe by following government advice and adhering to the regulations. During this period, we have been collaborating with The Football Association to confirm the best way to support our stakeholders and help us return to the grass. 
We are extremely grateful for the funding The FA and Sport England have made available to enable us to make the financial decisions above and also the Middlesex FA Board of Directors for their approval. Without The FA and Sport England’s support and investment into the grassroots game the impact on participation in Middlesex and beyond would have been devastating. 

We all believe and are conscious of the current financial pressures and we hope this comes as good news and goes some way to helping you prepare for the forthcoming season. We are optimistic about the future and are excited to continue connecting with our stakeholders and inspiring our community to get back involved in football. 

Further information regarding Staffing, Safeguarding, Affiliation, Referee Registration, Rectory Park, Middlesex Learning, County Cups and all other areas of the game will be released in the coming weeks. Please keep visiting our COVID-19 News and Support section on our website for up to date information. 

Stay safe, keep well and follow government advice during this very challenging time. 

Kind Regards,
Leigh O’Connor

http://www.middlesexfa.com/news/2020/may/15/return-to-football---the-middlesex-football-family

[Rhodes]

On 19/04/2020 at 21:26, Rhodes said:

There is actually still hope of completing the Middlesex FA Premier Cup competition according to the Middlesex FA website, lets hope that is the case and the mouth watering Semi Finals between Rayners Lane and Pitshanger Dynamo and Bedfont & Feltham and St Panteleimon, and the Final, can still go ahead:

Work on scenario planning continues in our commitment to find ways to support you ahead of the new season, with it resuming when it is safe and possible to do so. We are currently looking at all possibilities around how we can ensure that we still complete a full County Cup Finals Programme, making contact with all ongoing County Cup participants to get their thoughts on how we can complete the programme. More information will follow as we see how this virus continues to develop and impact the footballing world:

Surprise surprise, the 2019/20 Middlesex FA Premier Cup competition has been abandoned afterall despite assurances from the Middlesex FA that their County Cup competitions would be completed. I wonder if we would have got a Rayners Lane v St Panteleimon Final, sadly we will never know:

On 5th August 2020, we informed all clubs remaining in our County Cup Competitions from the 2019/20 season that it is with great regret that we would not be in a position to resume and complete our Cup Final Programme.

As you will remember the season was curtailed due to the worldwide pandemic and the lockdown restrictions implemented by the UK Government on 23rd March and at that point, we had still hoped and intended to complete the Cup Final Programme, with it possibly forming a part of our club's pre-season preparations. At that point, we had no clear picture as to when football could or would return nor what conditions may be in place to ensure a safe and also appropriate environment for our Cup Finals to take place.

Unfortunately, as the pandemic and lockdown restrictions continued through May and June by the time we received The FA’s latest guidance on Saturday 18th July it had become clear it would be extremely difficult to get the finals played in not only a safe environment but also with minimal impact on the league seasons.

A further complication that was discussed in our deliberations was the different levels of football that are impacted by our Cup Finals. With some clubs being involved in both weekend and midweek fixtures it would become impossible to organise a final before September when most leagues are due to start and then once in September it would be difficult to arrange fixtures for a midweek evening, with a lack of floodlit pitches available due to the return of our senior clubs.

Our desire was to ensure that we had a consistent decision across both our Youth and Adult competitions and to ensure all clubs were treated equally. We have decided that those finals that were confirmed with both finalists will be officially recorded as a trophy share. Whilst those finals that either had only one or neither of the finalists confirmed have been ruled null & void.

We appreciate that the decision we have taken is going to be difficult to take, however, our priority at all times is the safety of the players and club members involved, our match officials and volunteers, whilst having minimal impact on what is already due to be a condensed season.

https://www.middlesexfa.com/news/2020/aug/06/county-cup-update