What the new national lockdown and coronavirus restrictions mean for football and 'elite sport'

'Elite sport' in England and Wales will be allowed to continue desperate the new national lockdown introduced by the government.
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Boris Johnson orders national lockdown for England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new restrictions that will start on Thursday and run until December 2 to combat coronavirus and avoid the NHS being overwhelmed.

However, the English Football League (EFL) says it has been told by the government that its competitions can continue in England and Wales.

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This means that both Blackpool and Fleetwood Town can continue to play games.

The EFL said in a statement: "The EFL notes the difficult decision taken by the government in respect of the implementation of a ‘national lockdown’ in England from Thursday, November 5 in response to the rising cases of COVID-19.

"During this next phase it has been confirmed to the League by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that elite sport will be able to continue and EFL competitions will therefore remain as currently scheduled (in both England and Wales).

"Professional football has implemented some of the most stringent, robust and regularly reviewed protocols since the restart in June 2020 and our medical experts’ advice remains in place to fully adhere to these measures which are specifically designed to mitigate against the spread of the virus.

Elite sport can continue despite the nation returning to a national lockdownElite sport can continue despite the nation returning to a national lockdown
Elite sport can continue despite the nation returning to a national lockdown
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"The health, safety and well-being of players and club staff throughout the pandemic has been our first priority and this will continue as we enter this next period of lockdown and beyond.

"In addition, we acknowledge the government’s national efforts in tackling this outbreak and would hope that during this next phase of the crisis, our national sport, negatively affected by COVID-19 like many other industries, can continue to provide some form of welcome distraction and give people in our communities up and down the country a sense of normality in very challenging times."

Everything from the National League North/South is deemed 'elite sport', so AFC Fylde will also be permitted to continue.

However, it is not clear how grassroots and amateur sport will be affected, but it appears grassroots team sport will have to stop.

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In addition, nine of the 40 FA Cup first round ties due to be played over November 6-9 involve teams from "non-elite" leagues.

The Football Association says it is "awaiting further information before we can confirm how this may affect non-elite football across England".