SPORT ABANDONED IN NO-MAN’S LAND
Cash help for sports is bogged down by politicking
ELITE-LEvEL football and rugby can forget about a Scottish Government bail-out to get them through the Covid crisis, as emergency funds are filtered towards other sports battling for survival.
But even professional teams in sports like basketball, ice hockey and netball could end up being treated like second-class citizens compared to their rivals in British league set-ups — because political antipathy between Westminster and Holyrood is holding up the distribution of much-needed cash.
Sportsmail has canvassed influential figures from a number of organisations currently involved in negotiations with SportScotland, the body responsible for distributing central funds.
At the moment, they’re all pitching for something from a pot of just £ 1.5million — all of it National Lottery funds — set aside as emergency relief for the winter.
That’s just a fraction of what SportScotland would expect to receive if t he Scottish Government committed to match their share of the £300m ‘ Winter Survival Package’ announced by the UK Government earlier this month.
The SNP administration in Edinburgh claim the Barnett Formula should see up to £6m extra sent north for sport on this side of the border.
But Boris Johnson’s government argue that any cash needed to prop up teams and organisations in Scotland should come from the £16bn already provided to support the entire Scottish economy during the pandemic.
Caught in t he middle are professional outfits like basketball’s Glasgow Rocks, the Strathclyde Sirens netball side and three Scottish teams — Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers and Glasgow Clan — who make up almost a third of the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.
Teams and organisations down south are also facing serious issues accessing their share of the £300m, with Sportsmail told that up to £250m of that will be offered to clubs and governing bodies in the form of loans.
But t he decisi on by t he Department of Culture, Media and Sport to allocate funds to Sport England created a separate headache f or Scottish teams competing in British leagues.
The EIHL confirmed this week t hat t he £ 4m t hey’ve been promised by the UK Government will be split between the seven English clubs in the top flight, with the three Scottish teams missing out.
Rocks owner Duncan Smillie, meanwhile, isn’t holding out hopes of seeing any of the £3m allocated to the British Basketball League.
SportScotland have made it clear that they’ll be focusing the funds available to them on just keeping clubs alive until fans can return in 2021.
Chief executive Stewart Harris said yesterday: ‘We are continuing to work with a range of sports governing bodies and the Scottish Government to fully understand the immediate financial challenges faced across the sector, including the i mpact of l ost income in relation to spectator sports.
‘This is a worrying time for many organisations. But any financial support that may be available will need to be prioritised to help the survival of those most affected by the pandemic, rather than as a replacement for projected lost income.
‘It is vital that everyone comes together in the interests of all Scottish sport as we try to find solutions to problems caused by a global pandemic, which sadly continues to have a very real effect on people and communities across the country.
‘Sport is central to the fabric of Scottish society and we will continue to work with all key stakeholders to try to identify a viable and fair way forward that is in the best interests of all Scottish sport.’
Although English football has been offered £28m by Westminster, only clubs from the National League down — and the women’s game — will be able to apply for funding.
The Scottish Government have made it clear, Sportsmail understands, that no money will be handed over to Premiership teams — and they’re equally reluctant to prop up professional rugby in Scotland.
While grassroots sport will benefit, ice hockey, basketball and netball expect to claim the lion’s share of the £1.5m available.
The Rocks have already started their BBL season, incurring salary and other costs that have left the team — based at the Emirates Arena — j ust a month away from folding, according to Smillie.
And it emerged yesterday that the EIHL will have to begin their delayed season within a matter of weeks — or miss out on the Westminster windfall offered.
In a development that will increase the pressure on Dundee, Fife and Glasgow to get the funding needed to put teams on the ice, League chairman Tony Smith said: ‘We are looking at dates for a January start as this part of the requirement of the funding.
‘Obviously, we still have to be cautious and can’t promising anything concrete.
‘A lot of our planning depends entirely on dealing with different agencies across the UK.
‘But we are drawing up plans now about how we could get back on the ice playing competitive games at the beginning of 2021.’
Ice hockey’s season would have to be condensed into less than four months, with Great Britain’s place in the World Championships forcing an April finish.
‘Things have moved fast since the UK Government’s i nitial announcement,’ said Smith. ‘ We need them to keep doing so over the next fortnight to make sure we have to long as play as possible.’
Any financial support that may be needed must be prioritised to help survival of most affected
“At best it is unethical to take out a loan that you cannot repay, at worst it is illegal”