Chesham United Football Club would like to place on record our disapproval of the decision by the FA and Premier League to scrap replays in the FA Cup from the First Round onwards.
The world’s greatest competition has lost its magic beyond the early rounds as elite clubs continue to see it as a low priority and this latest decision once again shows the lack of respect and consideration for lower level clubs.
As a club we completely agree with prioritising player welfare, but the top clubs that compete in Europe do not even come into the competition until the Third Round so that seems a strange argument. Sadly it is another example where financial gain for the elite is prioritised over what is good for the game.
Fortunately, the non-league game continues to go from strength and we will always prioritise making the game inclusive for all and happily welcome football supporters that have become disillusioned with clubs where players can earn over £300k per week but are unable to regularly play two games a week and will have no issue with taking potential income opportunities from lower level clubs that are the soul of our national game.
