A DOOMSDAY SCENARIO FOR MINOR SPORTS

ORDERING games to be played behind closed doors for the rest of this year as part of a gradual exit from the coronavirus lockdown could force smaller sports clubs to shut down — perhaps for good.

That is the harsh reality envisaged by some of Scotland’s minority sports, who fear the stark consequences of signals from the Scottish Government that larger public gatherings will be ‘banned or restricted for some time to come’.

Resuming action in front of deserted stands might be an option for Premier League clubs with millions pouring in from Sky or BT. But Claire Nelson, chief executive of netball’s Strathclyde Sirens, insists it is a non-starter for the Vitality Superleague outfit.

‘It’s not viable,’ she underlined. ‘That’s the reality. We have so many contingency plans in place at the moment and I’d love if we could start selling tickets again soon.

‘But everything is really unknown. Women’s sport is generally underfunded but we require that ticket revenue to make the Sirens work.

‘It’s not just about tickets on the door. You rely on the merchandising and camps and sponsors that sit around it. Unless you have broadcast income or other funding, it’s extremely tough.’

The Sirens, owned by Netball Scotland, have a structure to ride out the worst of the storm. However, the three Scots pro ice hockey teams — Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers and Glasgow Clan — are self-sufficient and understood to rely heavily on ticket sales and the sponsorship generated by a modest TV deal with Premier Sports.

Meanwhile, basketball’s Glasgow Rocks bring in 100 per cent of their own income with no prospect of a bailout from the British League, which has sustained a potentially fatal financial hit of its own.

Rocks owner Duncan Smillie said: ‘It’s going to be tough, touch and go. We’ve taken a real hit. The impact has been seismic and we’re going to be severely compromised for a while.’