Expenditure On Players Must Fall Said Wealdstone Chairman

Wealdstone chairman Rory Fitzgerald has spoken to the Guardian about the effects of coronavirus on his club who play in the National League South.

"Expenditure on players will have to fall because of the amount of revenue clubs will lose. That goes for all levels, including ours. You would be shocked by some of the wages at tier two of the National league.


There are players on £1,000 per week. We were top of the National League South from the third week of the season until its early termination in April but we are not the biggest spenders. There have been cases where we offered a player £500 per week and someone came in with £800 per week and a signing-on fee. That sort of expenditure has become even more difficult to sustain.


Sensible management will be even more important. One of the things we did incredibly well was get the right player for the right money and who wanted to be at Wealdstone for the right reasons. We were specific about the type of player we wanted: local men who maybe had not had the sort of success they should have had in previous seasons and were looking to build again.


I have seen suggestions the National League should be regionalised to reduce travel costs and, while understanding the sentiment, I believe good management will enable clubs to cope with a few long trips. We expect to find out this week how this season’s standings will be determined – in other words, whether we will be promoted or the campaign voided. On the basis of our cost analysis, we are confident we could handle the travel expenses – so long as people are allowed to attend matches and, with suitable social distancing, use our bar. 

It would be welcome if the crisis led to big clubs deciding to go on fewer world tours and contesting more pre-season friendlies with local sides. A summer game against a Premier League or Championship team can make a hugh difference."