US Edition
'If this is a grant and replaces lost gate revenue, it would be huge'
Case study one: Women’s football - Charlie Dobres, Director Lewes FC
We need to see the details, because all we know so far is that the clubs in the Women’s Super League and the Championship will get £3 million. We do not know any more than that.
We do not know what the allocation will be and, crucially, we do not yet know if this is a grant or a loan. If it is a loan, it is not really much use at all because, for a football club like us, how are we supposed to make that income up [to repay the loan]?
It certainly needs to be a grant. We expect it to be, but we do not know yet and we do not know the size of the allocation. There are a lot of things that need to be cleared up.
In the best-case scenario, it replaces all of the lost revenue caused by the pandemic. As a club, you have to remember we have lost both the revenue from our women’s matches and our men’s matches. It’s all hypothetical, but if it can replace all the lost revenue from match days and the extra costs we have incurred because of Covid it will fill the hole. It would be a huge boost.
I do not want to over-dramatise it, but it has been stressful because of the financial stuff, but also the impact it has had on our players and our fans. Every single industry has had that and we have not been as badly affected as some.
The worst part of it all has been not knowing, not being able to plan. It has been stressful, but when is running a club not stressful?
'It’s a massive step in the right direction but we’re definitely not out of the woods yet'
Case study two: Netball
The seriousness of the pandemic’s impact on elite netball was laid bare when Saracens Mavericks, one of the ten clubs in England’s Superleague, launched a crowdfunding page back in June.
The Hertfordshire club needed to raise £50,000 to secure its long-term future following the cancellation of the domestic season as income from ticket sales and sponsorship dried up. The initiative was set up by Kat Ratnapala, the Mavericks’ head coach, and came just two days after culture secretary Oliver Dowden pledged to ensure that women’s sport retains its momentum of the last few years, including England Netball's historic Commonwealth gold triumph in 2018.
That Superleague clubs will benefit from a £2m payment as part of the Government’s sport rescue package is welcome news for the semi-professional sport. England Netball, who are due to host Jamaica in a three-test series in January, will also receive £2m.
“It’s a massive step in the right direction,” said Ratnapala, "but we’re definitely not out of the woods yet. We don't know if the money will come in loans or grants. I still think there will be a struggle from our end in a loan situation."
While confirmation of these much needed funds will be a major boost for a massively underfunded sport, there is still uncertainty. Ratnapala cites the prospect of having to reimburse more fans for season tickets if they are not allowed back into indoor netball venues by February, when the 2021 Superleague season is due to start.
To date, the Mavericks have raised a quarter of their £50,000 target. "We are attached to Saracens rugby, but financially, we do run independently, and we have to stand on our own two feet with the help of sponsors," added Ratnapala. "That’s the hardest challenge for any women’s sport."
'We are upset speedway has been ignored, but it is not a lost cause'
Case study three: Speedway - Rob Godfrey, British Speedway chairman
We have had clarification from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that we will need to apply. There is an extra pot that will be available to us, but we are very disappointed that we are not in the original blueprint.
We recently formed an all-party parliamentary group for speedway once again. They definitely know about us and it is just strange that we are not on the original draft. Much of motorsport has been totally neglected. MotoGP etc is a big part of what we do in this country.
It is very strange the way it has been administered, but we have been assured there is a pot available, and we just need to apply for it. So I assume sports like MotoGP will get into it as well. We have actually had a good relationship with DCMS. We have had representation to Nigel Huddleston, the sports minister, to get him to understand what the sport has been through.
Speedway prepared for the season, but did not start. Most venues, most promoters, have had no income whatsoever this year. It is extremely hard to quantify how much this has all cost. It is the livelihoods on the tracks up and down the country, the promoters, the riders, mechanics, sponsors, everybody involved with the sport.
We were assured that when any daylight did come that speedway would be included. It was not today, but the email from DCMS confirms there is another pot of money. At least it is not a lost cause.
'Swimming must be next for help – the nation’s health is at stake'
Case study four: Swimming - Jane Nickerson, Swim England chief
It is encouraging to see support being provided for those organisations who have lost their major spectator income, in order to protect their immediate futures over the winter period.
Now what I would like to see is any further government investment focused on sports that have missed out on this package but have also been severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions. Our work as a national governing body is vast, but with around 80 per cent of our income self-generated, we have seen a huge reduction in our finances due to the pandemic.
The grass roots of our sport, including the 1,000-plus aquatic clubs across England, also need support, having lost the majority of their income – including valuable income from their own events since March. There is no doubt we are fighting for survival, both as an organisation and a sector, and therefore it would have been a lifeline to have been part of the announcement.
While we may not be classed as a major spectator sport, swimming is one of the biggest participation sports, with 14 million adults swimming last year.
The physical and mental health benefits of aquatic activity are worth more than £357 million a year to the National Health Service and social care system alone.
Increased investment is necessary as, without pools, without clubs, without our sport, the nation’s long-term health is at risk.