New-look work commitments could change non-league landscape when football returns, says Sleaford Town manager Jamie Shaw

Jamie Shaw, seen in action with Sleaford Town teammates, has questioned player availability when football resumes.

A number of financial experts have predicted working patterns may change dramatically post-coronavirus, due to the public’s shopping habits, preferences to work from home and the needs of businesses to adapt.

It has been suggested that this could see work routines changed for many.

And while Sleaford Town boss Shaw has no doubt the desire to play football will not be dampened, he understands availability may be an issue.

“I think people want to get back playing,” he said.

“But I don’t think it will be easy for everyone. Jobs, and the structures around work, may chnage.

“People are normally able to get off work on a Saturday but they may find that more difficult.

“Gone are the days of people working Monday to Friday and having Saturday off so they can play football.

“We have some players who have to work some weekends as it is, but I think the working week could be spread more over seven days rather than five for more people.

“Clubs may find players unable to commit to clubs as regularly.

“But there’s no doubt people are missing playing football.”

While some discussions continue about how to move the club forward, Shaw told The Standard he believes it is important to give his players and potential targets some breathing space right now.

“I can speak to players, but I’m not really speaking to them at the moment,” he added.

“To be honest I’ve taken the view that it’s probably time to give people a bit of space.

“There’s a lot going on and for a lot of players at our level, mainly young lads with young families, they have a lot more important things to think about right now than UCL football.

“We are planning and looking to next season in some ways. We’re still in contact with the lads from this season bia WhatsApp and the modern ways of communicating.

“If I’m honest, when we get an idea of when the season will be starting again, I think that’s the time to really step it up again.”

Another issue Shaw and other managers face is trying to prepare for next season not knowing when it will kick off or what budgets will be like.

He added: “We don’t know where the club will be at in terms of finances or being able to pay travellingb expenses for games, so there’s a lot of things to look at first.

“I know some managers are in contact with players, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But we’re looking at it in a slightly different way.”