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DCMS select committee told: major sports facing £700m loss from pandemic
POSTED 06 May 2020 . BY Tom Walker
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said it would take up to six years 'to get rugby back fully on its feet' Credit: Shutterstock/Mitch Gunn
Leaders of major English sports have told MPs that they are set to lose more than £700m between them over the next 12 months.

Appearing in front of the digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) select committee, chiefs from the English Football League (EFL), the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the COVID-19 shutdown is having a devastating effect on the finances of elite sport.

Rick Parry, chair of EFL, said clubs in the three divisions of the league were heading towards "a financial hole of £200m by the end of September".

Saying that the EFL would need a "proper reset post-Covid", with clubs currently "stacking up creditors", Parry also said it would be "difficult to answer" how many might go out of business.

Tom Harrison, chief executive of ECB, went even further, saying that the future of cricket "is in danger" and that the sport would require a significant and collaborative effort to protect it.

"In a worst-case scenario for which it is prudent to model, the cost of losing the entire cricket season is more than £380m of lost income," he said.

Meanwhile, RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said it would take up to six years "to get rugby back fully on its feet”.

Sweeney estimated that the RFU has already lost around £15m, which would become £122m if there are no matches at Twickenham – the national stadium which it owns – during 2020.

The DCMS Select Committee also heard from Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of grassroots body Sport England and from Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of high-performance body UK Sport.

Hollingsworth said the £20m Community Emergency Fund – part of a larger £195m funding package to help grassroots organisations through the pandemic – was already oversubscribed.

“We would expect 4,000 applications in a year," he said. "Over the last five weeks, we have had 7,500 applications.

“That tells the story of how clubs are in need of that support.”

Meanwhile, UK Sport's Dame Katherine said the organisation was looking for an “early and exceptional rollover” of money from the government, in order to protect national governing bodies of sport.

She said the rollover would “reassure all Olympic and Paralympic sports that funding is in place”.

The current funding cycle ends in March 2021, but Grainger is looking for a rollover until March 2022 due to the Tokyo Olympic Games being moved from June 2020 to June 2021.

• The DCMS Select Committee session is available to watch in its entirety on the Parliament Live service. To access the footage, click here.
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  UK's DCMS Committee to hear from charities over impact of COVID-19 outbreak


The UK's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee is expected to meet this week to hear from charities from these sectors over the level of Government support needed to ensure their survival in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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NEWS
DCMS select committee told: major sports facing £700m loss from pandemic
POSTED 06 May 2020 . BY Tom Walker
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said it would take up to six years 'to get rugby back fully on its feet' Credit: Shutterstock/Mitch Gunn
Leaders of major English sports have told MPs that they are set to lose more than £700m between them over the next 12 months.

Appearing in front of the digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) select committee, chiefs from the English Football League (EFL), the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the COVID-19 shutdown is having a devastating effect on the finances of elite sport.

Rick Parry, chair of EFL, said clubs in the three divisions of the league were heading towards "a financial hole of £200m by the end of September".

Saying that the EFL would need a "proper reset post-Covid", with clubs currently "stacking up creditors", Parry also said it would be "difficult to answer" how many might go out of business.

Tom Harrison, chief executive of ECB, went even further, saying that the future of cricket "is in danger" and that the sport would require a significant and collaborative effort to protect it.

"In a worst-case scenario for which it is prudent to model, the cost of losing the entire cricket season is more than £380m of lost income," he said.

Meanwhile, RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said it would take up to six years "to get rugby back fully on its feet”.

Sweeney estimated that the RFU has already lost around £15m, which would become £122m if there are no matches at Twickenham – the national stadium which it owns – during 2020.

The DCMS Select Committee also heard from Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of grassroots body Sport England and from Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of high-performance body UK Sport.

Hollingsworth said the £20m Community Emergency Fund – part of a larger £195m funding package to help grassroots organisations through the pandemic – was already oversubscribed.

“We would expect 4,000 applications in a year," he said. "Over the last five weeks, we have had 7,500 applications.

“That tells the story of how clubs are in need of that support.”

Meanwhile, UK Sport's Dame Katherine said the organisation was looking for an “early and exceptional rollover” of money from the government, in order to protect national governing bodies of sport.

She said the rollover would “reassure all Olympic and Paralympic sports that funding is in place”.

The current funding cycle ends in March 2021, but Grainger is looking for a rollover until March 2022 due to the Tokyo Olympic Games being moved from June 2020 to June 2021.

• The DCMS Select Committee session is available to watch in its entirety on the Parliament Live service. To access the footage, click here.
RELATED STORIES
UK government 'stepping up plans' for the return of sport


The UK government has begun stepping up its plans for the return of sport, according to culture secretary Oliver Dowden.
£195m package announced to help physical activity sector through coronavirus outbreak


A total of £195m of National Lottery funding has been made available to help the sport and physical activity sector through the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.
UK's DCMS Committee to hear from charities over impact of COVID-19 outbreak


The UK's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee is expected to meet this week to hear from charities from these sectors over the level of Government support needed to ensure their survival in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
MORE NEWS
Montana Heritage Center opens with immersive exhibits and US$107 million investment
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana Heritage Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
Universal launches new theme park model with Kids Resort
Universal Destinations and Experiences has launched a new regional theme park model with the opening of Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas.
San Antonio Zoo reports $283 million economic impact as expansion plans progress
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade- long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas attraction.
Great Barrier Reef attraction set for AU$180 million reinvention
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COMPANY PROFILES
Taylor Made Designs

Founded in 1993, Taylor Made Designs supply corporate clothing and brand-enhancing merchandise to [more...]
instantprint

We’re a Yorkshire-based online printer, founded in 2009 by Adam Carnell and James Kinsella. [more...]
TechnoAlpin Indoor

TechnoAlpin is the world leader for snowmaking systems. With the Indoor snow division, TechnoAlpin c [more...]
Simworx Ltd

The company was initially established in 1997. Terry Monkton and Andrew Roberts are the key stakeh [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
29 Sep - 02 Oct 2026

Synergy - The Retreat Show

Pical Resort, Valamar Collection, Porec, Croatia
+ More diary  
 


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