National League CEO Michael Tattersall says the number one priority for the whole of Non-League football is to protect its workforce and make use of the government's economic intervention plan as the game battles the coronavirus crisis.
The government announced they will pay the wages of employees who cannot work because of the global pandemic on Friday. Pressure is also building to step up financial support for other groups like the self-employed.
All of football has been suspended and there are real fears over how clubs will survive the hiatus with the loss of their main incomes streams from matchdays, at least for now.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak last night revealed the plan that will pay 80 per cent of salaries – up to £2,500 per month – for staff kept on by their employers.
League chief Tattersall insists questions over how the season will resume or be concluded are immaterial at this stage. Instead, he says it is absolutely crucial that leagues and clubs look after everyone working in football.
“The priority of Non-League football should now be to protect its workforce,” Tattersall told The Non-League Paper today. “It must implement the government's unprecedented economic intervention.
“Everything else is secondary for the time being. We can work out who wins what and who goes up and who goes down – but the highest priority is protecting the workforce.
“We've followed the government's health advice, we should now follow their economic advice and implement the government's intervention to protect the workers in Non-League football clubs.
“There's loads of angles about when, where, what, how – what happens to the season? But if you reach the conclusion that is a lesser priority than protecting people's livelihoods that is always going to be more important than anything else.
National League Statement | National League Competition Suspended
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“We should help protect as many people in the industry as we possibly can so we can look after our families. If we don't take it up, we aren't implementing the government's intervention and we will never be forgiven for it.
“It could go on for months. The government will pay the wages for as long as coronavirus is around. If you get rid of your employees now, you're letting those people fend for themselves or go to the lower level of the welfare state.
“The chancellor said we will be judged by our capacity for compassion. Let's show compassion to all of our employees and workers. We must do our best to get all the people on the payrolls to be eligible for this new scheme.”
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper on a Sunday for the latest news from across Non-League over the last seven days on the growing impact of the coronavirus on the game and society.
Images courtesy of theshots.co.uk & The Non-League Paper
