Telford miss out on latest survival package
AFC Telford United will have to state their case for financial support after the Government announced that non-league clubs at steps three to six of the National League system will share a grant of up to £10million to help keep them afloat through the coronavirus pandemic.
The grant covers the Northern Premier League, in which Market Drayton play, and those below including the North West Counties, Midland League and West Midlands League which all contain Shropshire sides, will protect the immediate future of approximately 850 clubs.
Clubs in the National League, National North, where Telford ply their trade, and South won’t receive any of the windfall having benefitted from a £10million government-brokered cash partnership with the National Lottery earlier in the season.
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston clarified that any National League club that can demonstrate they are in dire need may be rewarded with a grant on a case-by-case basis, insisting: “We will not let clubs go to the wall.”
News of the grant comes one week after the announcement that clubs at the top end of the National League structure would only be eligible for low-interest loans, drawing criticism from a number of clubs and which led to the North an South fixtures being suspended for two weeks.
In a statement jointly issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Sport England, Huddleston said: “We promised to support sports and target help to where it’s most needed.
“The £10million grant for lower-league clubs in steps three to six will act as a lifeline for around 850 clubs in towns and cities across England.”
