GOVERNING bodies in sport have a difficult role trying to keep everyone happy, I accept that, but sometimes certain decisions boggle the mind.

For example, one of the craziest stories in non-league this season has seen West Yorkshire side Farsley Celtic move their home games to Derbyshire-based Buxton until at least Christmas.

Buxton have an artificial pitch, like the one Farsley are planning to lay at some point this season, so the Celts can practically guarantee their games will be played through the grim winter weather.

But logistically it is a nightmare. Buxton is around 70 miles from Farsley, so anyone attending their home games currently is facing a round trip of over three hours.

So why are they not using Bradford (Park Avenue)’s artificial surface at Horsfall, just down the road?

Well, they did, for a couple of matches last month, until that agreement suddenly ended.

Why? Because the National League told Avenue, Horsfall’s landlords, that they would have to give priority to Farsley over fixtures, as the Celts play two divisions higher.

Forcing the BD6 side to play at their own ground on Friday night, Sunday afternoons or Monday evenings, while Farsley took Saturday afternoons, was unsurprisingly not a proposal Avenue were willing to consider.

And with the National League also denying Farsley the use of other grounds around West Yorkshire due to them not being compliant with their regulations, it has led to this ridiculous relocation to Buxton.

Moving further up the pyramid, the EFL are also in their usual unwanted spotlight this week as the international break looms.

Fleetwood are hosting City this afternoon, but have had their game next weekend against Tranmere postponed due to international call-ups.

City faced Tranmere in the last international break, but Rovers will not be playing during the next one due to Fleetwood's international call ups.City faced Tranmere in the last international break, but Rovers will not be playing during the next one due to Fleetwood's international call ups. (Image: Thomas Gadd.)

Yet none of those players are realistically in line to earn a senior cap for their country.

Only three of their squad have been selected anyway, which seems an extremely small number to rip up a whole scheduled league match for 10 days in advance.

Tickets will of course be valid for the rearranged fixture, but people will have wasted tickets on train money and accommodation.

Not only that, but it is likely to go ahead on a Tuesday or Wednesday night now, which will again eliminate a lot of potential match-goers who would have attended the original clash.

It is clear what Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens thinks of the EFL’s willingness to call these kind of games off, posting a “getting boring now” emoji on social media after his side had their upcoming game with Mansfield postponed for the same reason.

And yet the EFL and Premier League seemingly have no issue with their computerised system dishing out crazy away trips in midweek, and will happily play ball with television companies when it comes to rearranging fixtures for baffling times.

It is a common wind-up of opposition fans to criticise a lack of travelling support, but what do you expect when Newport supporters are required to make an eight-hour round trip to Bradford to see their team in action at Valley Parade on Monday night?

One thing EFL supporters could generally take solace in was their weekend matches being at 3pm on a Saturday, but now a deal has been agreed with Sky, they can now be on TV at all sorts of times.

Equally, it is asking a lot of Gainsborough fans, in arguably the biggest game of their history, to travel up to Harrogate on the last Friday of this month for a 7:45pm kick off in the FA Cup second round.

The FA have also bizarrely arranged a televised game for 11:30am between Wealdstone and Wycombe the following day, an almost unheard of morning game surely killing the atmosphere of a potentially intriguing tie instantly.

Away from football, the RFL and IMG certainly cannot be held fully accountable for the ‘Reimagining of Rugby League’ that has taken place over the last few years, as the majority of clubs did vote for it after all.

The RFL insisted all criteria would be easy to understand and implement, but clearly many clubs do not agree.

Widnes have even held a fans’ forum where they explained how shocked they were to be marked so low, with their current score leaving them a long way off Super League, where they played only six years ago.

Widnes made the Betfred Championship play-offs in 2024, but that ended up being basically irrelevant due to their woeful IMG score.Widnes made the Betfred Championship play-offs in 2024, but that ended up being basically irrelevant due to their woeful IMG score. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

The Vikings also claimed they did not feel the system has been fairly implemented, according to rugby league journalist James Gordon, who was at the forum.

Doncaster’s chief commercial officer Shaun Lockwood expressed his disbelief that part of their incredibly low stadium score (despite it being used for a Challenge Cup semi final a few months earlier) was down to a TV gantry that was ruled to be 40cm too small.

When the RFL and IMG talked about raising standards, surely punishing clubs over matters like that was not what they meant?

I know this is like shouting into a void, but please can these governing bodies take note over the voices that matter more often?