A press release from the Department For Digital, Culture, Media And Sport has confirmed that £10M will be available to National League Clubs.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has today announced that National League football clubs will receive £10 million funding as part of a unique partnership with The National Lottery.
The support will benefit the 66 clubs in the fifth and six tiers of English football, so that they can continue to play behind closed doors after the return of fans was paused due to rising infection rates.
Alongside the support for clubs, National Lottery players will also get a range of benefits – including free tickets once stadia are safe to reopen, grassroots football opportunities, and VIP experiences at Wembley Stadium.
It comes after the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport assured the National League that emergency financial support would be forthcoming so that it was able to start the season earlier this month. All 66 clubs are playing football this season as a result.
The £10 million emergency support package, which will reach clubs quickly via the Football Association (FA), is in recognition of the important role National League clubs play in their local areas – being a source of pride to their towns, giving children opportunities to get active, and being at the heart of their communities.
Many clubs and their supporters have also been very active in their areas throughout the pandemic, rallying round to help the elderly and isolated, and raising money for front-line charities.
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, said:
'I know from a brilliant club in my area that National League football clubs are the beating heart of their communities and too precious to lose. This £10 million fund will provide a bridge to help clubs survive this immediate crisis whilst we work together on the safe return of fans.
'I’m very grateful to National Lottery players for getting help to these community clubs so quickly.'
Funding will be distributed to each of the 66 National League clubs to
help cover their lost gate revenue from the delay to fans being
permitted to return, that was originally scheduled for 1 October. The
decision was taken to pause this relaxation of the rules on 22
September, in order to stem rising coronavirus infection rates across
the country.