Doncaster Rovers set survival template but Premier League clubs must help

A growing number of ‘football people’ from Arsene Wenger to Gary Neville have stated that the greatest gift that the Premier League can bequeath to English football is to do its bit to help the game below the top-flight survive in its gravest hour amid the coronavirus crisis.

Moore, who briefly managed in the top tier at West Bromwich, fully concurs with that viewpoint and believes that the Premier League has a moral obligation to provide a financial security net to effectively save the English Football League.

Former Arsenal manager Wenger has painted the picture in stark terms, stressing the need for the top-flight clubs – whose coffers are swelled by huge amounts in broadcasting revenue – to show solidarity by aiding EFL clubs starved of match-day income or else ‘too many clubs will die after this period.’

Previously, Premier League clubs have agreed to advance £125m to the EFL and National League but this was bringing forward solidarity payments, parachute payments and academy grants which would have been due later on down the line in any case – with a more significant package likely to be required to save football below the big time.

On the importance of concerted support from the Premier League, Moore told The Yorkshire Post: “Without a doubt. From the top level of the game, they have to help as this is having a huge and massively detrimental effect at clubs in League Two and League One because there is just no revenue coming in.

“Not just at this level – but at the one above as well – they are so reliant on crowds to keep things turning over. That is where I think that it is not just about our club, but about the whole level of the game which will be impacted and affected.

“I just hope that the powers running the game will hopefully see that.

“It is not us crying over spilt milk, it is just a situation where we know we all need help.

“Teams at this level now are all working extremely hard to see that all staff members, players and work colleagues throughout the whole structure of a football club survive.

“There are so many different departments of the football club and people who work in it and love football – and have done for years and years – are just pulling together and trying to make sure everyone survives this situation.”

Alongside the notion of support from the top echelons, there is a tacit and widespread acceptance that lower-division clubs must take measures to cope with the new reality for clubs in the post Covid-19 world.

To that effect, League One and League Two clubs have written to the EFL asking for salary cap proposals to be introduced next season.

EFL chairman Rick Parry has stated that some form of cap on players’ wages as “essential” to football’s long-term recovery from coronavirus.

By definition, those clubs who have taken prudent financial decisions in the past, operated on structured budgets and run along community lines will be better placed in the new football order – with Doncaster likely to be among that number.

Moore observed: “People will look at the governance of football and think: ‘we were running way over beyond our levels and now is a time to readdress things in a properly, orderly manner.’

“If clubs do take a lead from how Doncaster is run from a structural and business point of view, that can only be a good thing for the game of football.

“Structurally-wise, we are a community football club.

“Nearly a year ago, when the job opportunity was advertised, I read up all about the club. I met an ex-player and know many people have got wonderful affinities about the club, but I just read up about the job.

“I thought I’d like to apply as there was something about the club that I just love. Part of that was the ‘Club Doncaster’ model and all their involvement and the way they are engaging in the community and keeping everybody connected and using the club and the fact that people of Doncaster are proud of the Keepmoat Stadium.

“You look at how many different departments it uses and how many people right through the ages use it, which is fabulous.

“To be manager of the team is an honour and we want a team who exemplifies that. The whole structure of the club from the chairman and directors – from David Blunt to Gavin Baldwin to Andy (Watson) and Terry (Bramall) on the board of directors – have shown clear leadership and understanding for the football club.”

Editor’s note: First and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you. James Mitchinson, Editor