Government announces £300m ‘Winter Survival Package’ for sports

The Government has announced a £300m rescue package of emergency funding to protect the immediate future of spectator sports in England.

The funding, which will largely be composed of loans, will be shared among several sports – from national governing bodies through to clubs – that will be most severely impacted over the winter because of coronavirus.

Both rugby codes and horse racing are among the 11 sports that will receive the funding, but the Premier League and the English Football League have missed out, along with cricket.

Nigel Huddleston, Sports Minister, said: “Over the past few weeks we have worked tirelessly with sport governing bodies and clubs across the country to fully assess what support is needed, as a result of the decision to postpone the return of fans.

“We know the vast majority of sports – many of which operate on tight financial margins – have been making serious cost reductions, such as locking down grounds, taking up the furlough scheme for many staff and halting excess payments.

“Whilst the Government’s overall economic package has provided a significant buffer, it is absolutely right that we now intervene to protect entire sports, and the communities they support, as we navigate this pandemic.”

“Britain is a sports powerhouse, and this Government will do everything we can to help our precious sports and clubs make it through covid”

Oliver Dowden

Women’s football, the lower tiers of the National League, motorsport, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing are also in line to benefit.

“Sports clubs are the beating hearts of their communities, and this £300 million boost will help them survive this difficult winter period,” Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said.

“We promised to stand by sports when we had to postpone fans returning. We are doing just that by delivering another £300 million on top of existing business support schemes.

“Britain is a sports powerhouse, and this Government will do everything we can to help our precious sports and clubs make it through covid.”

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The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) said the first tranche of funding will be distributed in the coming weeks.

Breakdown of funding distribution

£300m ‘Winter Survival Package’ for sports

£241m will go immediately to the eleven sports identified

£59m will be contingency funds [unforeseen events at this stage]

Rugby union will receive the biggest single amount – £135m. Of that, £44m will go to the Rugby Football Union, £59m to Premiership Rugby clubs, £9m to clubs in the Championship and £23m to clubs below the Championship.

Horse racing will receive £40m to support racecourses unable to welcome visitors.

The National League, which has already received funding worth £10m as part of a partnership with The National Lottery to enable it to begin its 2020-21 season, will be given a further £11m to cover the period between January and the end of March.

Steps three to six of the pyramid will receive £14m, while the Women’s Super League and Championship have been awarded £3m.

The government has repeatedly said professional men’s football is wealthy enough to support itself through the crisis.

The EFL, whose clubs have been particularly badly hit by the loss of matchday revenue, is yet to agree terms of a bail-out with the Premier League.

The Rugby Football League will receive £12m, in addition to the £16m announced in May to safeguard the sport’s future.

Owners and operators of major motorsports circuits will receive a combined £6m, the Lawn Tennis Association will get £5m and England Netball will receive £2m.

Basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing have been given £11m combined.

In September, more than 100 leaders from the physical activity sector wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for urgent funding, warning of a “lost generation of sport and activity” due to the pandemic.

The arts industry was given a £1.57bn support package by the government in July.

Turnstiles have been closed since March after plans for a partial return of spectators from October 1 were scrapped amid a rise in coronavirus cases, in another blow to sports bodies.

The government is exploring the potential of allowing fans to return to football matches in England before Christmas, where rates of infection are low.

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