Clubs need funds to see out season

NEIL DONCASTER has called on the Scottish Government to hand over the emergency cash it promised to struggling top-flight clubs. As Record Sport revealed last week, the Premiership has yet to receive any of the Covid bailout that was first promised back in October. And in a Q&A Doncaster admitted the situation is fast becoming perilous with some clubs unable to complete the season without a share of the £20million pot. KJ: How concerned are you over the Government’s failure to distribute emergency funding to top-flight clubs? ND: It is a real concern and the clubs are very frustrated that a number of months following the announcement that grants and funding would be made available, that Premiership clubs haven’t received a penny of this funding. Championship, League

One and League Two clubs have now received all of their grant funding, which is very welcome. But it’s still not clear what terms will be attached to the loans being offered to the Premiership.

That’s frustrating for those clubs and it’s still not clear why football was deemed to be less deserving of grant funding than rugby, why the SRU was given £15m in grant funding and football was given only £10m. We never got a straight answer about that.

How urgent is this? Are some Premiership clubs now in a perilous financial position?

ND: It is urgent and it is perilous. I get calls on a daily basis from clubs seeking information. But that information can only come from government. The money can’t come soon enough because, in some cases, these clubs are reliant on the money to get through to the end of the season.