Parry paints a very bleak picture and fears EFL clubs will go to the wall
While many of Scotland’s lower-league clubs are staring into the abyss right now, things are little better in England. Indeed, yesterday the English Football League chairman, Rick Parry, stated that some clubs are on the “brink” of collapse.
But he insisted cancelling the season would be a last resort.
With plans for some fans to return in October not proceeding, the EFL aims to secure a rescue package to help cover an expected £250-million loss in ticket sales. The Premier League, Government and other sources have been asked to help. Parry (right) said: “We need specifics, and clubs need answers and reassurances very soon. A number of clubs and sporting bodies have already expressed their concerns after plans for fans to return to sporting events in England were postponed.
In outlining the situation faced by many EFL clubs, Parry painted a bleak picture. “In League One and League Two, more than 30% of the revenues come from gate receipts,” he said. “We’ve consistently said we need up to £250m, and that was based on the losses of last season, and an assumption that we play the whole of this season without crowds. “Some clubs are on the brink. Some would have been without Covid-19.
“We have kept nearly all of them intact so far.
“But, of course, there is a prospect that if we can’t get a package, some will go to the wall.
“In a normal year, our clubs rely on £440m of owner funding to keep them afloat.
“That is the size of the losses they make.”
Both League One and League Two ended early last term after a vote by clubs in June, which helped to limit losses.
But Parry, who remains “confident” that financial assistance will be forthcoming, says cancelling the season at those levels could have disastrous consequences. “We need League One and League Two to remain relevant,” he said.
“If we go into hibernation, we might not come out of it. “They are the heartbeat of their communities, and we need them playing football and coming out of this stronger.”
Just like Scotland, in fact.