Will this season complete for EFL teams

hertfordseasider

Well-known member
I really hope they will, but with no supporters allowed back in to grounds for basically the whole season how can clubs put games on and survive?

You could say that clubs still have to pay the players and the staff. The ground still has to be maintained and the clubs do have some season ticket money and TV money plus income from follow, merchandise etc., Costs of putting a game on will be a lot less but you still have to travel to away matches, stay in hotels, pay some match day staff.

It would seem that stopping the football, unless there is a risk to the players from the virus (see Orient) then surely the games will go ahead?

You'd like to think the obscene amount of money swirling round the PL would be shared out fairer, but we know the likely answer to that!

So, I think the season will continue but we could see some clubs fold, although hopefully not.

Thoughts?
 
Common sense should dictate that the football season would complete under appropriate and continuing 'best practice' guidelines, and that fans would be let back in soon IN MANAGEABLE NUMBERS, but I suspect that the wild reporting of the media and random approach of the government will have a part to play yet.

There will of course be cases of CV, Orient shouldn't be a surprise, and the strategy should expect and manage these occurrences.

If that doesn't do it, the economical reality of football in empty grounds will start to bite.

I wouldn't be surprised if the house of cards begins to fall in the lower leagues. I'm not hopeful to be honest.
 
There is a balancing act here. If the Government continues with an alternative furlough like scheme then clubs won't be able to use that if they are playing. But they will be able to get some limited income from ifollow broadcasts (but only the additional ones above the ST holders).
There is an interesting article from the chairman of Colchester United about the distribution of income from Saturday's match with Bolton. If a normal crowd had been there they would have benefitted from a big away following and taken the lion's share of the gate receipts. Under the ifollow method they get the home purchases and the first 500 of away purchases with the rest of the away purchases going to the away club. What this meant was that Bolton actually got the lion's share of the income, even though it was an away match for Bolton. For the reverse fixture, Bolton are likely to take all the income, as the number of away passes purchased by CU fans are likely to be less than 500. They have estimated the impact over a full season is that Bolton will receive a minimum of £345k more than CU on away pass purchases alone. The gap will be much more on home pass purchses. Can that be fair, especially when all clubs are capped at the same level? It certainly means some clubs will be even more exposed by not having supporters in their ground.
The avoidance of the football authorities, PL and Government to support lower league professional clubs means it looks certain that some clubs will not survive. I just hope SS has deep pockets if additional support is required.
I note the National League are voting later this week on whether to delay their start because crowd pilots have been deferred. They are even more reliant on supporter gate and other receipts.
I think the EFL programme may limp through to the end of the season, but some individual clubs within it may not be able to. Of course if there is a material number of disruptions from C19 outbreaks at clubs then it may not be feasible to complete the season. I see that Leyton Orient have had give Spurs a win through a bye because they cannot fulfill the cup fixture because of a major C19 outbreak at the club. Or course they also miss out on any income as well
 
The government could get some revenge here for all the administrations, dodgy sales and VAT that was avoided over the last 20 years or so,where football collectively lived beyond its means and robbed the exchequer of much needed funds.

There is enough money swimming around the professional football game to get the entire network through the next couple of years, without having to ask for any bale outs or loans. Some shameful stuff where top division clubs were putting staff on furlough then making redundancies,when they have just -for instance- taken on a multi million pound deal with Chinese TV.

The PFA can look at themselves too-bags of loot in PFA HQ and executives that make more money that the top City stockbroking clique, so help from that direction is more than affordable.
 
Common sense should dictate that the football season would complete under appropriate and continuing 'best practice' guidelines, and that fans would be let back in soon IN MANAGEABLE NUMBERS, but I suspect that the wild reporting of the media and random approach of the government will have a part to play yet.

There will of course be cases of CV, Orient shouldn't be a surprise, and the strategy should expect and manage these occurrences.

If that doesn't do it, the economical reality of football in empty grounds will start to bite.

I wouldn't be surprised if the house of cards begins to fall in the lower leagues. I'm not hopeful to be honest.
Paul Scally said today that as a league one club without fans they are losing £40k a week and will be in trouble by Christmas, I am sure they are not alone, there will be others in dire straights if fans are not allowed back into the stadiums in the very near future or a fairy godmother turns up.
 
Can that be fair, especially when all clubs are capped at the same level?
Not saying the iFollow system is fair, however it's like saying Fleetwood should receive an end of season payment because, in normal circumstances, they get far lower crowds and thus revenue.
 
Paul Scally said today that as a league one club without fans they are losing £40k a week and will be in trouble by Christmas, I am sure they are not alone, there will be others in dire straights if fans are not allowed back into the stadiums in the very near future or a fairy godmother turns up.

Whilst there's patently no scientific reason a realistic number of fans should be back in the grounds (20% in the Bundesliga currently) under stringent and transparent management guidelines ... it won't happen. The govt's management of the overall situation is shambolic and the public now confused/scared beyond reasonable conversation and discussion on such matters. The game (and the hospitality industry in general) is now no more than a political football being booted about by the inept Johnson and his team. (and no, I am not a Labour sympathizer). They may be shamed into financial assistance, but it won't paper the coming cracks.
 
It's the million dollar question, of course, and the honest answer is that none of us know. However, it's heartening to read another mature, well reasoned discussion breaking out on AVFTT.
 
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