BFCST Update on Horsham Cup tie

It is an EFL and FA regulation that any other activity taking place at a stadium must be cancelled in order to host a home game. The minimum notice period that the EFL and FA have to give to cancel those other activities is just 48 hours so neither Donny's fireworks or Barnsley's hastily advertised women's game should take priority to an FA regulated men's game.

 

Donny might make more from fireworks than a 1st round FA Cup tie.

Plus, what do you do with £20k+ of fireworks - they get bought months in advance.

The women’s game has always been on this date, not hastily advertised. The only change being on the main pitch.

I suspect the club probably just didn’t expect folk to be that concerned over a 1st round tie. Attendance wise that is probably historically proven. I know a lot of folk have moaned about it, and rightly so - but just how many of these were actually going to attend anyway?

 

They both ultimately have to comply to FA rules, it’s not sexist, it would simply be a case of FA cup comes first

 

There's no such rule. Feel free to cite it. https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefa...up/rules-of-the-fa-challenge-cup-2022-23.ashx

 

First round ties against non-league opposition are enough of a novelty for me to want to attend them. I'd have been far more inclined to go to this one than a fixture against a League One or League Two club, unless it was an opponent we don't play very often.

For me personally, the disrespect shown to both our supporters, and those travelling from Horsham in particular, has turned what should have been as close to a must-attend fixture as there could be in the 1st round, into one that is now shrouded in very easily avoidable negativity.

Despite everything, I might still have attended if I'd not been given a single option of an inferior view to my usual seat in an area exposed to the elements on a November evening.

Win or lose on Friday, the resentment I feel towards the club regarding its handling of it will be the outstanding memory I have from this draw.

 

Whilst it doesn’t actually cite it, it does say they must be played, either on the day, the day after, or a date agreed by the FA. Also, why are league games cancelled for replays and for when a team progresses and their league fixture clashes with the next round. Is that not taking precedent?
Para D, seems cover this

B. DRAWS FOR ROUNDS AND KICK OFF TIMES (a)

The Clubs competing in each Round of the Competition shall be drawn in couples (and The Association may conduct draws for more than one Round of the Competition at the same time). The couples shall play a match subject to the Laws of the Game. The winners will compete in the next Round, the ties of which will be drawn in the same manner. This shall be continued until the Final of the Competition.

(b)

After the draw for each Round is made, notice shall be given to each Club of the name of its opponent Club, and the date and time when the match shall be played. All matches in each Round shall be played on such date as the Professional Game Board shall determine.

(c)

The time of kick-off shall be 3.00pm for matches on a Saturday or Sunday and 7.45pm for weekday matches unless mutually agreed otherwise, subject to the approval of the Professional Game Board. In any event, the Professional Game Board shall have the power to order that a kick-off time is changed, as it deems appropriate.

(d) If, at the request of the Police and/or local enforcement authority, a match cannot be played on the date fixed then that match will be automatically rescheduled to the following day unless otherwise directed by The Association.

(e)

Any late kick-off shall be reported by the Referee to The Association and the Professional Game Board shall have power to impose a fine. For a first offence by a club on a live broadcast tie in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Competition Proper a fine of up to £1,000 may be imposed and on live broadcast ties from Round 3 onwards a fine of up to £5,000 may be imposed.

(f)

Immediately following publication by The Association of the draw for each Round (or the date at which the Home Club's participation in the relevant fixture is confirmed, whichever is latel the Club first drawn must communicate with the opposing Club to agree upon a date for any replay in accordance with Competition Rule 11, and notify The Association of the date agreed by the two Clubs and all other necessary details regarding the match by completing the Match Arrangement Form which must be received by The Association and away Club within seven days of the date of the draw (or the date at which the Home Club's participation in the relevant fixture is confirmed, whichever is latar)

The Match Arrangement Form is to be signed by a

 

None of that says "thou shalt cancel a league fixture in the event of a cup tie". Nothing there states the team must cancel a league fixture to play on one of those dates, let alone cancel a fixture for a different team. The same applies to replays. While teams will look to rearrange fixtures for cup replays, nothing in the rules says they must.

Any decision that would have resulted in the cancellation of the women's fixture would have been entirely the club's choosing, not due to FA rules, and I think the board would have been disrespectful at best if they had chosen to go down that route.

 

EFL and FA rules do state that ground sharing and any other event taking place must be lower in priority than the member team (which is the men's team) who must have priority and the ability to cancel all other events with 48 hours notice.

 

I’m telling you now that if there had been an event either at Oakwell or nearby on the Friday night, the game would’ve been played on the Sunday. The point I made was that they do and often have cancelled league fixtures that are due to be played for a cup replay to take precedent and teams progressing will have their league game postponed in order for the cup game to take precedent.