Southern League football club Stratford Town could be “set back 12 months financially” due to the Coronavirus pandemic – according to chairman Jed McCrory.
McCrory is concerned about the commercial and financial knock-on effects following the postponement of all Southern League games.
“The later it goes on, the less opportunity we have to fund next year,” McCrory explained.
“For clubs in Divisions One, Two and Nation League the commercial value to them is obviously a lot higher than for a club like Stratford, but the implications are the same.
“Going in to next season, will there be lower wage bills for players? This all has to be reviewed.”
McCrory, who only recently helped Stratford clear its debts added: “It’s not going to be the next 12 weeks, we are talking about the next 12 months (which will be affected).
“Thankfully we have got the club back onto a level footing now,” He said. “We will go back slightly financially, but its far more important that everyone is healthy and comes back ready to go again.”
Stratford had planned to host a summer tournament starting in June, which would see academies from some of the top teams in Europe take part.
But this has now been cancelled alongside a potential new kit launch, and the temporary closure of their 3G pitch.
Steve Burgess – Commercial Manager
Commercial manager Steve Burgess expressed his concerns about the postponements.
“The revenue that comes through the door on match day is revenue that helps support and maintain the football club,” Burgess said.
“This is an unprecedented time, without match day revenue and support from sponsorships and local businesses the club could go out of business.
“I can do a certain amount of work from home, but ultimately with match days and other things you need to be seeing customers and going out into the public.”
The club has since announced the closure of their bar on Wednesdays and their 3G training pitch will be closed until further notice due to FA guidelines.
