General Manager Q&A March 2020
Ed – First and foremost how are all the squad/management team and BRTFC employees/volunteers doing? As far as you know are they all in good health?
SC: We are not aware of any health problems with anyone connected with the club which is good news. Obviously the players are keeping to themselves to minimise contact so no training is taking place. Various volunteers are still helping out around the club which is very much appreciated and all are well.
Ed – The Isthmian League made the tough decision to suspend fixtures for a period of time last Friday, how much of a say did the member clubs have in this decision?
SC: The board of directors has eight clubs represented on the board, including me, and we spent several hours considering everything on Saturday and again today on conference calls. There is a further announcement coming out from the League this morning (Tues 17th) as the suspension has now been carried forward to April 3rd, in line with all other leagues and the FA, who have now suspended all football at all levels. Generally other clubs have been very supportive of difficult decisions which have been taken but we will never be able to please everyone.
Ed – Just before the suspension of the league and fixtures we had three home games in a row postponed. What sort of financial impact did this have on the club?
SC: Loss of home Saturday fixtures generally costs us around £4-5,000 per match and we will not now have even midweek matches to replace them, although midweek matches only bring in half what a Saturday match would.
Ed – I’m sure many of us appreciate that there is lot unknowns and uncertainties at this point, however I have to ask how much impact is this having on the club on a day to day basis whilst the season remains in limbo?
SC: We are meeting early tomorrow morning to consider how the club will function going forward. Revenue has virtually dried up as most events booked in Seasons are cancelling. I think eight have cancelled since the government announced their measures this afternoon. In a nutshell, this is the most serious situation for us that can possibly be imagined, although we are in the same position as every other club.
Ed – In your opinion would it better if the 2019/20 season was concluded at some stage when it can or is it better to allow it to be null and voided and we all start again in August?
SC: Personally I would just cancel it now. I really cannot see us being able to start again in, say May, and be able to finish the season sensibly. If we were to restart, and a player was to go down with the virus, what happens then? I would just foresee chaos. There are so many other issues to consider such as necessary summer maintenance work on the pitch, players registrations and contracts etc. However, in difficult times, we may need to come up with innovative solutions and many people will be considering these over the next few weeks. However, whatever the Isthmian League decides, it must be in tandem with all other leagues. It would not ok if we all did different things.
Ed – This is a very worrying times for all clubs in the Non League pyramid. Do you think the government should step in to help if an club’s very existence is under threat if the season doesn’t conclude?
SC: Personally I don’t see it as the governments responsibility to support football clubs financially. Where would it stop? What about every other sport? There are many areas that are more important for the government to look at supporting financially rather than sports clubs.
Ed – Finally, is there anything fans can do to help the club during these very uncertain and worrying times?
SC: We have been working today on several ideas which we will announce shortly which could be win-win situations to help the financial stability of the club. Such things as discounted season tickets for next season if you buy now for example. We don’t really want to just beg for help, but would rather create a situation where the club benefits as well as helping others.