The 2019-20 National League season finally set to be decided by club voting this week: Barrow, Notts County, York City, Havant & Waterlooville and others await their fate

Over three months since the last games were played in the fifth and sixth tier, clubs are set to vote on proposals over how to decide the season by 5pm on Wednesday.

Following a delay, member clubs received the National League’s ‘ordinary resolution’ proposal on Monday.

Hartlepool United will be one of the 24 National League clubs given a vote while teams in the National League North and South will have just four votes per league.

Hartlepool’s new acting executive director Martin Jesper attended the league’s zoom conference last week and will be dealing with the voting papers on behalf of the club.

A total of 17 votes in favour of the proposal are required for it to pass – otherwise, the leagues risk being voided.

If the proposal is passed, the fifth and sixth tiers would be decided on an unweighted points-per-game basis which would see leaders Barrow promoted to League Two.

The system also means Pools would drop from ninth to 12th in the table while 11th placed Barnet would jump into the play-off positions at the expense of Stockport County.

The sides top of the National League North and South on points-per-game, King’s Lynn Town and Wealdstone would be promoted to the National League.

The proposal stipulated that play-offs in the National League would take place behind closed doors from July 18 with the final being held at a neutral venue.

Harrogate Town, Notts County, Yeovil Town, Boreham Wood, Halifax Town and Barnet will be invited to compete in the play-offs, but are under no obligation to do so should the proposal be passed.

Halifax Town, Notts County and Boreham Wood have already signalled their intent to go ahead with the play-offs despite the financial burden of paying for coronavirus tests, stadium disinfectants and players’ wages without any matchday income.

The crux of the controversy surrounding the ‘ordinary resolution’ proposal involved the play-offs in the National League North and South.

Government guidelines have allowed ‘elite sport’ to return behind closed doors which means play-offs can go ahead in the National League but the picture becomes far less clear for those in the league below.

The National League’s draft proposal stated that play-offs would not be taking place in the sixth tier before an amendment was made that would allow them to go ahead subject to government guidance.

This u-turn came in the wake of the #Promote2 campaign led by National Leauge North and South runners-up (on points per game) York City and Havant & Waterlooville.

York chairman Jason McGill told BBC Radio York that it would cost his club up to £150,000 just to take part in the play-offs with other sixth tier sides unsure if they’d be able to participate due to the potential costs. It’s a situation that remains up in the air.

The National League will maintain a 24 team league with relegations out of the fifth tier dependent on how many teams are promoted and relegated into the division.

News on the voting outcome is expected on Thursday, 17 June.