GOVERNMENT HANDOUT IS A ‘LIFESAVER’
DUNFERMLINE chairman Ross McArthur admits the Scottish government’s handout will be a “lifesaver” for Scottish football.
The SFA are set to dish out the first portion of the £7.5million worth of grants awarded to SPFL clubs below the Premiership this week ahead of Christmas.
A total of £11.35m is available to football at all levels north of the border.
It is understood the money will not filter down from government until January but Hampden bosses are to pay half up front, with the remainder to be passed on to clubs when the cash finally reaches the SFA’s bank account next month.
Championship clubs are to receive £500,000 each, League One £150,000 and League Two £ 100,000, whilst every Premiership club can apply for low- interest loans of approaching £2m.
With the help of supporters, the furlough scheme, transfer money for the sale of Kevin Nisbet to Hibs and the safety net of significant investment from Germany, McArthur was confident Dunfermline were well placed to ride out the pandemic.
But the East End Park chief, who is a member of the SPFL board, believes the whole of Scottish football will be extremely grateful for a cash injection he reckons should now secure the safety of clubs through to the end of the season.
McArthur said: “I ’m conscious the Premiership clubs have got more potential funding but that is a loan, so to get the grant funding is absolutely very welcome for Dunfermline.
“When the grant funding was announced, it had to filter down the levels so we weren’t very sure what individual clubs would get.
“But I had hoped we would get a certain figure and this has surpassed it. So we’re absolutely delighted. It’s a lifesaver.
“I have been quite vocal in recent weeks saying we needed it.
“I was talking more about the game as a whole, not necessarily about Dunfermline. It would have been difficult for us but we would have got through things.
“But we will be down about 50 per cent of our income and I can’t take 50 per cent of costs out of the business.
“So this is fantastic news. It’s much-needed money, to save the game in Scotland, particularly at the lower levels.
“There are a lot of clubs who have been around for over a hundred years and they’re institutions, part of the local community, and they’ve just been starved of income.
“It’s a timely boost for the game, for sure, and certainly at our club we’re delighted.”