Emergency funding for football

Emergency grants worth £11.35 million will be split between football clubs in an agreement between the Scottish FA and the Scottish Government.

The funding will support clubs below Premiership level after the loss of spectator revenue due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with £10 million coming from the Scottish Government’s emergency sports package that was announced earlier this month, and a further £1.35 million from the National Lottery.

Championship clubs will receive an equal share of £5 million, League One will receive £1.5 million and League Two will receive £1 million, with the remaining funds split between the lower leagues, women’s football and the affiliated national associations. The grants will be administered by the Scottish FA, which will receive the funding early next week.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said:

“Football clubs are at the heart of their communities, but many of them have suffered real hardships as the necessary COVID-19 lockdown restrictions prevented them from playing in front of fans, or even playing competitively at all. This funding will help to ensure clubs are able to bridge the gap in revenue until spectators are able to return safely to sports events in larger numbers.

“I am delighted we are able to use this funding to support the entire football pyramid and provide valuable support where it is needed most. I would like to thank the Scottish Football Association for working constructively to reach this agreement, and to the National Lottery for the additional £1.35 million funding. Working in partnership we will support the clubs that have given us so much through this difficult time.”

Rod Petrie, Scottish FA President, said:

“This announcement recognises the importance of our national sport at all levels of the senior game. We will work with the Scottish Government to ensure that the funding can be accessed by all clubs as efficiently as possible. ”

Background

The Scottish Government’s emergency sports funding package, announced last week, also includes £20 million in loans for the Scottish Premiership alongside funding for sports including rugby, basketball, netball and horse racing.

Divisional funding, and the £20 million Premiership loans, will be split evenly between the clubs in each tier.

A full breakdown of the grant allocations is as follows: