News this week that Berkhamsted’s first team football season is over. Subject to FA ratification, the Southern League has bowed to the inevitable. There simply is not enough room to slot The Comrades’ 32 remaining games in division 1 Central, into the little window between lockdown restrictions being lifted and pitches being reseeded.

The FA had plans for a summer re-organisation of non-league football. They put them on hold for a year when last season was not finished. They are still considering pushing ahead with it this summer. The intention is to expand some higher divisions and move from 7 to 8 regional divisions across England at step 4. That is Berko’s first team level and the plan could cut travelling time and costs. It would also create space for more teams at step 6 and the Comrades’ have applied to the FA to move up the reserves from Spartan South Midlands (SSMFL) division 2.

We will be attending a SSMFL league meeting soon, to see if there is enough support from clubs to run a mini- league cup starting in April. A bit like the first team, they have 21 league games to go, so completing the regular league programme will not happen. FA discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport continue to decide when crowds will be allowed for the various levels of non-league football for the remainder of the season. The outcome of that will no doubt influence how clubs vote.

Our Sunday under 14 and under 15 youth sides are in the Eastern Junior Alliance and clubs are being consulted this week on a restart on 11 April with a season extension. This is feasible because we only have between 8 and 13 games to go per team. We await news of the midweek under 18 league’s plans.

We have made a submission on Dacorum’s draft local plan for housing, including comments from many supporters that signed our petition to stay at Broadwater. We do not wish to be kicked out of town to Bourne End.