Amateur football is set to return to Islington on 29 March as local clubs implement Boris Johnson’s roadmap for moving out of lockdown.
Local football clubs in Islington have suffered a sporadic season since the onset of the pandemic last year. But this news offers clubs some hope that they will be able to get back on the pitch by the end of the month.
Stephen Griffith is the Director of the Copenhagen Youth Project (CYP), a community which supports young people in Islington. They have a local team of staff members and older service users, and news that football will be allowed to return is welcome.
“Football is a part of what we do. We need to be and have been a reliable and consistent part of lockdown for many young people and football coming back is a step in the right direction for those looking for stability.”
Many of the clubs have turned to The FA to understand the possible ways they will be able to operate once they return to play, “We’ve responded as The FA have asked us to, we stopped playing when they told us. Now that we are back, we are looking into how we can maintain safety whilst playing,” says Griffith.
The FA say that they are working closely with the Government to ensure that there can be a “safe return for grassroots football across England”.
