Some clubs could go to the wall

FOOTBALL finance expert Bryan Jackson fears a prolonged period of inactivity caused by the coronavirus crisis could lead to a swathe of clubs going out of business. Jackson has become a familiar face during troubled times in Scottish football, having previously spearheaded administrations at Motherwell, Clyde, Dundee, Dunfermline and Hearts following their respective collapses. He has first-hand experience of how vital gate receipts, commercial sales and the ‘resilience’ of generous fans are to the survival of football clubs — all of which could be hard to come by for the foreseeable future. Jackson, who believes most SPFL outfits are far more responsible now than they were in the late 1990s and early 2000s, would be confident of surviving a few weeks without fixtures being played in front of paying fans. Should that extend to months because of the coronavirus, however, he has his doubts. ‘In many ways, it would be easier to deal with the mismanagement of a club than this,’ admitted Jackson, who is now a consultant with chartered accountants and business advisers Johnston Carmichael. ‘At least you know the challenges and issues you are facing. The worst aspect of this for clubs is the complete uncertainty. If it is going to be a matter of weeks without a match, they could conceivably plan for that and, although there would be immediate challenges, eventually get that income. ‘The issue is that if this stretches to, for example, three or four months, then who knows? You start to ask serious questions about the ability of clubs to survive, particularly those who don’t operate with major cash reserves. ‘Gate receipts are a massive factor. Some clubs have good season-ticket sales to fall back on, but a lot still count on that walk-up business. ‘I’ve no doubt fans will want to back their club if there is any sign of trouble. ‘But this is a worldwide issue that is impacting on everyone and many fans could be feeling the strain in their own jobs. ‘I’d like to think the SFA and SPFL will be liaising with the government to try to mitigate any damage.’