National League clubs have been informed that they will receive an emergency grant to enable them to start their new season this weekend.
Were officials In conversations With the government on funding to help cover the losses incurred by the ban masses.
The government last week canceled plans for a partial return of viewers from October 1.
The National League said it hoped to agree on “an important financial support package”.
The NNL clubs said they did not want to start playing without crowds, and there were concerns that some would withdraw from the Federation Cup to avoid activating player contracts that they could not afford.
On Tuesday, however, the clubs received an email from the league’s chief executive, Michael Tattersall, informing them that the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) is “working at a pace … to design a support package that will give the National League the reassurance it needs.”
“This will include grants to cover lost base revenue from fans who will not return on October 1 as planned.”
The clubs were told, “The government recognizes the immediate pressure the National League clubs are subjected to regarding the start of their season and is committed to restarting play in a viable manner.”
The size of any grant has yet to be confirmed, but BBC Sport is aware the league hopes to raise around £ 2-3 million a month.
Tattersall wrote that more details were needed, but the aim of the update was “to provide reassurance to the National League before the season that begins this weekend”.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston confirmed the financial aid, but said the standards were still under development.
“It will depend on those who need it most. It will definitely focus on the portal receipts,” he said, adding that other sports would “definitely” be included.
“This gives us a lifeline to start the season behind closed doors,” Aldershot Town Chairman Shaheed Great Shah told BBC Radio 4’s program today. “I am very satisfied.”
The National League – the fifth division of English football – is scheduled to begin on Saturday 3 October with the regional sixth level on October 5 and the South on October 6.
The 2019-20 season ended in April as a result of the club vote after all three tournaments were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The clubs then voted to determine final league tables based on points for each match, with promotions being played in all three divisions.
“The Premier League hits from all directions”
The Premier League on Tuesday held what were described as “calculated” talks about a possible £ 250m bailout from the English Premier League (EFL), but no deal was reached.
The clubs are known to have concerns about their finances and will hold another meeting next Tuesday.
Culture Minister Oliver Dowden has said he “hopes” to strike a deal this week, but the Premier League is known to see such a timeframe as unrealistic.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber told BBC Radio 5 Live that delaying the return of fans was “a big step back” and that Premier League clubs “are being hit from all directions.”
He added, “We have been asked to support the football pyramid, but what we are asking is to be able to maintain our own business and to put ourselves in a better position to be able to do so.”
“We are not allowed to run our own business to generate our own income, we support where we can government messages and everything else they ask us to do but at the same time we are also being asked to help others – that doesn’t seem quite right.”
Huddleston, who also spoke on Wednesday, added that there had been “constructive talks” with the Premier League and the Premier League League.
“They acknowledge their responsibility,” he said. “They are at the top of the pyramid and it is fair and reasonable for those with broad shoulders to bear the brunt.”
Meanwhile, it is estimated that 300,000 jobs could be lost in the next six months from the UK sports and fitness sector.
The Chartered Institute for Sport Management and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) says there will likely be “a significant number of closures” for gyms and leisure centers in the coming months.
“It is crucial for the government to realize that rescuing professional sports clubs (although important as well) is a very different challenge than protecting the sports sector and physical activity at the grassroots level.”
Sports and entertainment organizations have been granted to date to tell DCMS how much it will lose as the government works on an emergency funding package.
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