Top flight teams should pitch in and support our smaller clubs

IWONDER what will the future be like for club football in the UK? Week after week of matches being played in vast empty stadia – most have taken a financial toll. For how much money will Manchester United have lost through not being able to get 70,000 plus into Old Trafford for every home game?

Yet it is the smaller clubs who are being most affected by the Covid-19 restrictions. Why? Well the giants of the leagues are still getting millions in TV revenue.

I would argue that this places them in a strong position as audiences flock to watch games on the small screen which they’re barred from attending in person. There is also the money generated from sponsorship and advertising rights.

What’s more, even if the likes of Manchester City had to halve the wages of their players, they’d still be taking home more in a week than most of us earn in a year. When Everton can still plan for a new ground and there is talk of a new European Super League, you can rest assured that those at the top will prosper once the Covid shackles are loosened. Sadly, lower down the league pyramid things don’t look so optimistic.

For teams in the lower divisions match-day revenue means far more, being the main source of a club’s income. So the longer fans aren’t allowed, the harder it will be for clubs to survive.

At the time of writing the National League is considering abandoning its season, after realising that Government help will be in the form of returnable loans rather than grants. And how many teams will suffer the fate of Bury, expelled from the EFL in August 2019?

I believe that if the Government aren’t prepared to be more helpful, then it’s up to the game’s giants to lend a hand. A transfer levy on a multi-mullion deal could be a lifeline for a lesser club, who play a valuable role in the local community.

Indeed, appearing on the weekly fixtures/results has given many smaller towns valuable name recognition over the years. Finally a word of warning for the Premiership millionaires, a pyramid is only as strong as its weakest link.