Exclusive: National League at risk of being called off this week

Exclusive: National League at risk of being called off this week
By The Athletic Staff
Jan 18, 2021

The National League season is at risk of being called off this week following talks between the league and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport over funding, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Philip Buckingham can reveal.

Mark Ives, the league’s interim general manager, has called a meeting with clubs on Wednesday where he is expected to break the bad news that there will be no more government grant money for the second half of the season.

The majority of clubs in the National League North and South are expected to insist that their seasons cannot continue without extra help, raising the prospect of the seasons being declared void before the half-way point.

What's the problem?

The problem stems from the decision taken by Michael Tattersall, the former National League CEO, to start the season on October 3 without fans. This was a reversal of the initial policy that the 2020-21 season would only take place with fans in the grounds.

Gate receipts make up the vast majority of revenue for National League clubs and while some fans were briefly allowed back for games between the second and third national lockdowns, it was never going to be enough to plug the gap.

In late October the government announced that they would provide £10 million of funding, which the National League could distribute between the clubs. But that money would only last for a few months.

How significant are the financial issues?

There was bitter controversy over how the £10 million of grants was distributed. The National League devised a system whereby the Step 1 clubs would receive £95,000 or £84,000 while the Step 2 clubs would get £36,000 or £30,000.

This prompted a furious response from better supported clubs who had lost far more than that in gate receipts.

There were calls for Brian Barwick’s resignation and former FA chairman David Bernstein wrote an independent report into the process that was never published. National League CEO Michael Tattersall stood down.

But the National League was expecting another tranche of grants from the government, and clubs were crestfallen to learn this week that DCMS now intends on giving them loans rather than grants.

With clubs having no gate income at all during the third national lockdown, many cannot afford to play on with just a loan. That is why they are desperate for a government u-turn.

How much support would ending the season have?

There is plenty of support for ending the season from the National League South and North clubs.

These are clubs who received much less money from the autumn grants, regardless of how well supported they are, and now simply cannot afford to keep on playing.

12 National League North clubs wrote to culture secretary Oliver Dowden asking for grants, rather than loans.

One well-placed source said that he expects “three quarters” of that league to support cancelling the league, with similar positions expected in National League South.

“The vast majority of clubs won’t continue as it is unless grants are provided,” said one source. “We certainly won’t be getting into hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt to finish the season.”

Does this apply to the entire National League structure?

The picture in the National League is less clear with some sources expecting there to be more support for playing on even if there is no government u-turn on grants.

But one National League source said there is a sense of betrayal that they started the season on the assumption that they would either have fans, or government support, and now they are faced with the prospect of having neither.

“We've all done what we were told to do,” he said. “That's the killer. We haven't put ourselves in this position.”

What could happen over the coming days?

The National League is set for a board meeting on Tuesday lunchtime and then they key Zoom meeting with all 67 clubs which will take place on Wednesday morning.

This is when the clubs are expecting to be told that there is no more money, and when the clubs will make their feelings known on the continuation of the season after that.

Some clubs are not expecting to be playing this weekend.

What has the DCMS said?

A DCMS spokesperson told The Athletic: “Last year we brokered a unique deal between the National Lottery and the National League to provide a £10 million cash injection for these much-loved clubs. Since then we have announced a further £300 million investment to protect the immediate future of spectator sports, including another £11 million for National League clubs to help them finish the season.

“It is incorrect to suggest funding was ever promised as grants. Clubs in scope will be assessed for support on the same criteria as other professional clubs.”

(Photo: VISIONHAUS)

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