Is that usual that fixtures aren’t announced very far in advance at this time of year Ossie (weather related?) or is it in case teams are having to isolate?
It does very much depend on the League Fixture Secretaries, who plan the fixtures grid and upload onto the FA FullTime website, Jo. Down at non-league levels, there's a lot to contend with - no floodlights so no rescheduling of fixtures midweek, basic grounds prone to waterlogging or freezing so many more postponements, the shoehorning in of both League and County Cup ties into the mix .....
That said, usually the fixtures up to Christmas get released at the start of the season, and the remainder in December. This year it's been much more month by month. Covid has played a big part and it's all a bit on the hoof at the moment.
It's sort of:
On the Saturday, Martock are scheduled to play Odcombe, and Ilchester to play Bruton,
.... but Odcombe tell you on Thursday night they can't raise a team because of Covid, and it's well known that Ilchester's pitch is long-term waterlogged and they can't afford to hire a 3G,
.... so on the Friday, can we arrange for Martock to play at Bruton, or Bruton to play at Martock, with all the necessary phoning around, arranging ground preparation and sorting out referees, etc.?
.... which also means that the two original fixtures have to be pencilled in for later in the season, and the new "emergency" fixture removed from whenever it was planned in the subsequent fixture list!
Multiply that one scenario by, say, three other pairs of fixtures in the division, and you might as well rip up everything you've planned and start again!
A thankless job. You don't have that problem in the Premiership ...
That said, the Yeovil & District League seem to be uploading fixtures up to Feb 2nd. as we speak!
No football for Ossie yesterday
. It was bucketing with rain around mid-day here, and around 80% of local matches were called off due to the weather, including my preference of Milborne Port v Bournemouth Electric, so, if I can pinch that well known soccer saying: "We go again next week ...."