As I said in our previous update of seven weeks ago the months ahead and probably the next year or two are certainly going to be challenging for our club. The uncertainty on the football only became very slightly clearer during these past weeks. The National League finally put ‘how the season should end’ to a vote for clubs in early June and that was resolved on a ‘points per game’ basis with no relegation for clubs from the National League North and South. We finished in eighteenth spot.

It has then taken a further 6 weeks to confirm what was happening with regard to play-offs for clubs in the National League with an announcement last weekend that a full schedule of play-offs will take place in all three divisions with games commencing on Friday 17th July and concluding with finals on the weekend of 1st and 2nd August.

All emphasis from the games ruling bodies from the Premier League right down to the National League has been focused on completion of Season 2019-2020 and barring any unforeseen developments it looks like that is going to happen. National League clubs participating in the play-offs have to meet guidelines and testing criteria identical to that of the Premier League and EFL and when you factor in taking staff off furlough or part furlough and no income from those games you can see that costs for those clubs are going to be substantial. Many of the clubs had already run financial assistance campaigns seeking support from their fans to either support budgets for the season ending or to try and boost their coffers for the season ahead. With very little support unfolding from the governing bodies some of those clubs have launched further campaigns to enable/support their participation in the play-offs.

Whilst all this has been ongoing, the football governing bodies have been discussing the dynamics for when Season 2020-2021 will commence. How do you deal with the FA Cup, FA Vase and FA Trophy in addition to full league programmes? Will crowds be allowed in grounds and if so what percentage? I believe that the general consensus of clubs in Leagues One, Two and the National League is that football cannot take place without crowds and the associated revenue streams. Starting dates have been mooted from as early as 29th August to mid-September, October or November. The reality is nobody can predict what the effects of Covid-19 will be over the next 4-6 weeks as the Government seeks to get the economy moving and relax the constraints upon society.

What is known is that with Bury FC’s demise and no promotions from Step 3 of the non-league pyramid it is likely that either the National League North or South will operate with 21 clubs next campaign. With so much uncertainty re the financial situation within clubs at all levels then who knows how many clubs may go to the wall in the next few months. Just look at the shock announcement of Wigan going into administration last week as an example.

As stated in our previous updates the Board of Directors made the decision not to approach fans for any financial support as the impact of Covid-19 unfolded, as we were of the view that you all had other priorities with regard to your health, safety, well being, work and financial situation.

Rest assured, we have not been idle and have been planning ahead as best as possible. Outgoings have been minimised wherever possible with players and management playing a huge part in accepting wage reductions over the concluding weeks of the season. We suffered a significant loss of income through the loss of five home fixtures which unfortunately for us included title chasing York City, promotion chasing Boston United together with visits of AFC Telford United and Kidderminster Harriers.

Additionally monies that had been set aside to meet the FA ground grading requirement for the installation of an additional 250 covered seats had to be utilised for our financial commitments these past four months.

Sponsorship revenue forms a significant part of our income and although we have already had some favourable discussions on renewals with some sponsors we are undoubtedly going to suffer a substantial drop in that income stream in the year ahead as businesses look to survive in this challenging environment.

One tiny piece of good news is the receipt of a small grant of £1,500 from the Football Foundation to assist with pitch preparation and we have submitted a grant application to the same body for a further £500 for clubhouse/ground preparation to meet Covid-19 requirements. Whilst these are helpful and appreciated they will only make a small dent in our funding requirements.

We have been asked by fans many times in these past months what you can do to support the club financially and that is why we are launching a ‘Boost Your Club’ #BrakesTogether initiative later this week. We fully understand that some of you may not be able to contribute but we have made the options as flexible as possible and allied them to a range of rewards that you can benefit from. We hope that many of you feel you can support this initiative.

Our season ticket holders have shown great loyalty and many of you have already stated that you want to leave that money with the club in the form of a donation, which we greatly appreciate and no further action is required if you wish to do so. But I want to make it clear that anyone deciding that they need that money back in the current climate should apply for the refund with the full backing of Leamington FC and should do so by emailing info@leamingtonfc.co.uk and we will be happy to address that as a priority.

With regards to season tickets for Season 2020-2021 we will not be announcing that until we know when football will recommence and in order to assist fans we will make payment options more flexible to reflect these challenging times.

Our continuing message to you and your loved ones is to keep safe and hopefully we will be able to give you some positive news of the return of football in the coming weeks.

Jim Scott
Chairman
On behalf of Board of Directors