The British government have announced a £300 million package to help sport through the Covid-19 pandemic, with rugby set for the biggest share, but nothing for top level football and cricket.
The first payments will be made in the coming weeks, mainly as low-interest loans with flexible terms but also in the form of grants.
The money covers sport in England, with other parts of the United Kingdom having separate budgets. Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston told parliament it was clear some clubs would go to the wall unless action was taken to protect them.
“Clearly for many organisations not being able to generate gate receipts deprives them of a major source of income.”
Support will be provided to rugby of both codes, horse racing, the National League and women’s football, motorsport, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing.
More than 100 sports bodies wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September to ask for emergency funding, warning of “a lost generation of activity” because of the pandemic.
Preliminary allocations by sport, based on needs assessment, saw rugby union top the list with up to £135 million of which the Premiership clubs accounted for £59m and the national Rugby Football Union £44m.
Horse racing was next, with £40m to support racecourses closed to spectators, while the National League and women’s soccer was set to get £28m.
Motorsport, which employs more than 40,000 people in Britain, was allocated £6m to help operators of circuits like Silverstone.
