JESSICA FARRY SLIGO ROVERS ‘IN NO DANGER’ DESPITE TEMPORARY LAY-OFFS
REPORTS ON SLIGO ROVERS’ DECISION TO TEMPORARILY LAY-OFF ALL STAFF WITH SEASON BROUGHT TO A HALT.
AS the uncertainty continues over when the League of Ireland will return, Sligo Rovers made the tough decision last week to temporarily lay off all players, management and staff of the club.
It was a move that most expected to come at some point, but seeing it in writing brought home the seriousness of the impact of Covid-19 on local businesses.
The club made the decision early in order to safeguard the future of the club and to ensure that when the league does eventually return, the club is in a position that allows them to return to normal.
The FAI said in a statement on Friday that June 19 th is the target date for the resumption of the League of Ireland.
The Premier Division will finish on December 4 th, with the league closing on December 11 th following the promotion/relegation play-off.
The Extra.ie FAI Cup Final will go ahead as scheduled on November 1, whilst the EA SPORTS Cup will be deferred.
The new schedule will require the cancellation of the last round of fixtures in the Premier Division, now reduced to 27 games in total.
Rovers Chairman Tommy Higgins assured fans that the club is in no financial danger. Speaking to The Sligo Champion last Thursday, he said: “You have to make these tough decisions to protect the future viability of the club. The club is in no danger.
“If you make the wrong moves you could be sitting in a creditors’ meeting down the line and heading into liquidation.
“This is only a temporary lay-off, everyone is in the same boat. It’s the same for us as it is for Manchester United. The only difference is that our season is just starting and they’re coming towards the end.”
The outbreak of Covid-19 shows no signs of slowing down, and the return date for the League of Ireland moves further away as more and more cases are confirmed here in the Republic of Ireland.
No-one knows what the future holds, or when we can start getting ready for football to return, but Tommy Higgins feels it’s a number of months away before we can start preparing to don the red and white and head for The Showgrounds again.
“If we come back on September 1st, I don’t believe we will be back before that but we might be, we’re not going to finish the season in three months.
“Do we then go back to winter season?” he posed the question.
It is certainly something for the authorities to consider, as they may have to extend the season into the winter in order to finish it off, that is if they do decide to continue with the season.
“It’s just a pause on the season. Players’ contracts still stand. It’s still early in the process, everyone is still trying to figure out where this will go, we don’t know.
“As is, the league is not starting up for a long time, but when it does re-start we will be ready for it.”
It appears that Sligo Rovers made the decision early to ensure the club is financially ok should this continue for a few months, rather than carry on as normal in the hope that football returns in weeks and then potentially facing financial crisis.
The club posted on their own social media last week that they estimate a loss of €20,000 per match night when games are postponed, and they have had to cancel the Easter camps which are a big money earner for the club, while also an important link with fans and the local community.
Higgins added: “We’re a community club and there’s not a lot of money about.
“We don’t expect people to [give us money]. We moved quickly on this and people said to me ‘you moved very fast’ but I think we moved smartly. Everyone will be in the same boat.
“We think we have to act responsibly.” Higgins added that all of the club’s staff including players, management and admin staff, were very supportive of the decision.
The club also supported overseas players who opted to return home for the time being.
“It’s unfortunate for the players and staff. It’s a compliment to players and staff, particularly Liam Buckley to say that they have been supportive. I think fans need to know that Buckley was extremely supportive and understanding.
“We have an excellent committee in place and everyone is 100% behind this.”
Finnish defender Teemu Penninkangas posted on Instagram on Wednesday to say he was returning home for the time being.
“First I have to say that the start of this year might have been the best time in my life as a professional football player,” he wrote alongside a photograph of him with all his belongings packed up.
He added: “As this unfortunate situation affecting all of us does not seem to pass as fast as we hope, my only choice right now is to return back to Finland for now.
“I strongly hope that I am able to return to work with Sligo Rovers as soon as possible, and of course, as soon as is safe. Take care and be safe people.”
The statement from the club released last Thursday read as follows:
Sligo Rovers have today reached the extremely difficult decision to implement temporary layoffs for all management, players and administration staff due to the shutdown of the League of Ireland for the past two weeks and foreseeable future.
Following intensive talks in the last week involving the National League Executive Committee, the PFAI and the FAI, along with receiving government guidance, the club felt there was no option but to come to this conclusion in order to prioritise long-term employment both in football and administrative roles at Sligo Rovers.
We acknowledge ongoing efforts to find a solution from all parties and we recognise that it is an evolving situation. However we must act in the best interest of our club in the long-term.
Last Tuesday An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar outlined that the Coronavirus crisis would extend into a lengthy period.
This was an expected announcement and made it even clearer to us that League of Ireland football cannot resume until the summer at the earliest, and likely later.
Our income streams, like nearly all other businesses in the country, have been decimated and we simply cannot afford to function at our full cost level while having little or no income.
To do anything else would be reckless and would put the very future of Sligo Rovers under severe threat.
We have taken the following measures: 1) Club employees will be paid in accordance with government support for businesses forced to lay off employees temporarily. All staff have been informed of this.
2) All players and employees will be able to return to their regular wage upon the resumption of the League of Ireland. A date will be agreed in due course.
3) All staff have been put on this measure, no exceptions have been made, from the manager to players to admin staff to ground maintenance personnel.
4) Players from outside of Ireland have been given assistance to return home and many have already done so.
5) We will do our utmost to support our employees where possible over the coming months.
As a club we have operated as the most consistent completely full-time employer in the League of Ireland since our return to the Premier Division 15 years ago.
Taking this step today has been the hardest decision we have undertaken in our role of committee members, but we feel it is the correct one, we need to be decisive and show leadership to preserve our club.
We add that not one member of our board is paid in any way or receive any expense, many other volunteers give endless commitment to Sligo Rovers too. Our priority has always been our club, and our staff, as an organisation immersed in and funded by the local community.
The road forward from this crisis is not a clear one, we know this temporary measure will have a major impact in the lives of our staff. We are taking it to ensure there is a future.
We also recognise the widespread business closures in the area which is very visible in any drive through Sligo town and county. The effects this will have on our community will be significant. We know it will also bring great concern to our fans and sponsors. Our community and supporter base provides extraordinary support that defies logic and helps sustain our club.
Our promise as a committee is to get through this period and return with a sustainable and healthy Sligo Rovers.