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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


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  £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.
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Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
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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
UK's Royal attractions had a bumper year in 2023
Numbers from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, (ALVA) show that Royal attractions saw a huge increase in visitor numbers during 2023 – the coronation year of King Charles III.
Efteling to convert steam trains to electric as part of green drive
The Everyday Heritage initiative celebrates and preserves working class histories
Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
Universal announces long-awaited details of its Epic Universe, set to open in 2025
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Heartbreak for Swedish theme park, Liseberg, as fire breaks out
A fire has destroyed part of the new water world, Oceana, at Liseberg in Sweden, and a construction worker has been reported missing.
Museum director apologises after comparing the city of Florence to a sex worker
Museum director Cecilie Hollberg has come under fire for comparing the city to a sex worker due to uncontrolled mass tourism.
+ More news   
 
COMPANY PROFILES
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
Clip 'n Climb

Clip ‘n Climb currently offers facility owners and investors more than 40 colourful and unique Cha [more...]
Taylor Made Designs

Taylor Made Designs (TMD) has been supplying the Attractions, Holiday Park, Zoos and Theme Park mark [more...]
IAAPA EMEA

IAAPA Expo Europe was established in 2006 and has grown to the largest international conference and [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

08-08 May 2024

Hospitality Design Conference

Hotel Melià , Milano , Italy
10-12 May 2024

Asia Pool & Spa Expo

China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2024

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