THE FA have said that matches from Steps One to Seven will not be able restart without spectators.

Earlier today, the FA met with leagues in Steps Five and Six to discuss their plans for next season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Steps One to Seven are tied together on their restart date, though leagues below Step Seven may be permitted to play, subject to following Government guidance.

While making no guarantees, the FA believe the most likely restart would be in September.

Should fans not be able to attend matches by either September or October, then no League or County Cups will be played.

If this were to extend to between November and January, then half seasons would be played or divisions would be split geographically.

A restart beyond January would lead to a "worst case scenario" re-structure and potentially null and voiding the 2020/21 season.

The FA also hope to run the FA Cup and FA Vase in full, though this may not be possible given that the FA Cup must contractually take place on the first weekend in January.

Any restart would need approval from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.