How Are Lower League Teams Staying Financially Afloat During the Pandemic

As if it wasn’t already hard enough for non-league football teams to keep their finances in the green, the emergence of the coronavirus is another huge hurdle for all clubs.

Last year, we saw how two League One sides battled with their finances. Fortunately, previous Premier League side Bolton Wanderers finalised a takeover just on time. This wasn’t the case for Bury FC though, they were expelled from the English football league in 2019 and have had to reform as Bury AFC, and start the 2020-21 season in the 10th-tier North West Counties League Division One North.

Then, in August of this year, the National League team, Dover Athletic, were on the verge of collapse. Eventually, the players at Dover agreed to the wage cuts. But without these drastic measures, we may well see this be occurring more often. Teams are unable to get admission fees, programme fees, as well as food and drink money from the stadiums.

So, how are lower league clubs managing to remain afloat in this current economic climate?

Sponsorships

All clubs, no matter the size, have sponsorship deals in place to generate revenue and keep the club alive. When it comes to non-league clubs these are usually local sponsorships rather than from national and global businesses like you see in the Championship and Premier League.

These top-tier leagues see millions in sponsorship fees pumped into the club. In recent years, betting companies have been paying to be the front of shirt sponsors, this includes new casino sites too. Just look at Ipswich Town F.C who was sponsored by the casino website Magical Vegas a couple of years ago.

Fans that follow Non-League clubs in the Northern Premier League, Southern Football League and the Isthmian League would have seen the big debate that surrounded the BetVictor sponsorship. The contract was terminated early by BetVictor, around the time of the start of the pandemic.

Non-league football teams don’t have to sell their sponsorship rights to betting companies though. As we mentioned, many national and regional companies are looking for the increased exposure that football can give. It’s understandable that clubs want to get their hands on the most sponsorship money possible.

Donations

Another source of income for non-league clubs is from donations. These usually come from the local fans, especially on game days when members of the club will go round. However, as that’s not possible right now, teams have been having to collect any donations via internet banking.

Some clubs will be lucky enough to have one or two wealthy fans that can contribute a decent amount, however that’s not always the case. Quite often when donations are given you’ll also get something in return too.

One recent donation to the non-league football club, Brighouse Town FC, came from the former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville. The amount was undisclosed, but it just goes to show how these teams are in need of donations. Hopefully more ex-professional footballers will do the same as Gary Neville and donate to other non-league clubs.

Government Grant

Non-league clubs are also receiving a grant from the United Kingdom Government due to the fact leagues have had to start without the attendance of fans.

With there being no sign of the end of the virus, we hope that this won’t be the only Government financing offered to the lower league clubs.

The total government grant given to the National League was £10 million, and this wasn’t split equally between the teams. The League’s board had to analyse which clubs should be given more than others. Some people will be questioning if £10 million is enough from the government to keep the league going.

Summary

We know that it’s not easy for any business out there right now, it isn’t just the football clubs that are struggling. We sincerely hope that all football clubs in the U.K. can remain afloat during this tough economic struggle.

If you’re a regular at your local non-league club and can spare a small donation then please do. There will be light on the other side of the tunnel though, once stadium attendance is back, sponsorship fees will rise and the ecosystem will start to return to near-normal. In the meantime, it may be that clubs have to make layoffs or wage cuts.

We’ve got our fingers crossed for some decent runs in the FA cup from non-league sides.