Dunstable Town midfielder Davide Pobbe recently took part in an interview with Italian website Tuttocampo, below is the English translation:
Today we interview Davide Pobbe who describes the differences between Italian and English football and, in particular, how England has coped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many who follow Vicenza Non-League football will remember Davide whilst playing at Camisano and Valdagno.
A few weeks ago we received news of the reopening of the English stadiums,
and discussed the topic with Davide who currently plays as a midfielder in the English formation of Dunstable Town FC, a team that is part of the Spartan South Midlands League and who gave us the following interview:
Hi Davide and thanks for the interview for http://Tuttocampo.it. You’ve lived in England for some years having previously played for Camisano and Valdagno, to name a few. How are you finding life in English Non-League football?
Playing football in England is definitely a good experience. I have been at Dunstable Town for two seasons, having played for various teams here beforehand. The environment at the club is very positive, where I get along well with my teammates and have a manager who is very good.
What are the main differences you have noticed between the English Non-League world and the Italian one?
There are several differences, one of the main ones being the number of games played in a season. Due to the various cup competitions, as well as the league, football is often played during the week. The most important cups are the FA cup and the FA vase (or FA Trophy). These cups have a long tradition, usually with higher attendances, with the atmosphere on these match days being particularly special.
Every year the club wants to get as far as possible both for prestige and because of the prize money the club receives, with the amount increasing as you progress through the competition. Another difference is the squad, they are usually bigger, made up of about 25-30 players and can change even during the course of the season as the market remains open from June to February.
There are no over-quota rules here, young people are able to play and gain experience, with transfers to clubs higher up the pyramid a common sight.
There is increasing insistence on a reopening of English stadiums to the public in Non-League, can you tell us about the situation at the moment?
Here we had to stop in January because there was the national lockdown but as the situation in general has improved we have started playing again. That said, the games are played behind closed doors and the government has given the go-ahead for the return of the public this month only for some pilot events. One of the first is the semi-final of the FA Cup in April, where 4000 people will be able to enter the stadium. All spectators will have to undergo a quick test and these events will be used to study how to open stadiums safely this summer.
However, May 17th is the date that was decided to bring the fans back to the stands with both professional and Non-League able to welcome fans back for the last matches of the season with a limited number of people.
Credit: https://www.tuttocampo.it
Photo by: Cupcake 99 Football Photography