Coronavirus in Scotland: Partick Thistle face £150k loss during football shutdown

Jags ‘left in limbo’ admits chief executive

A general view of Partick Thistle's Firhill Stadium

Partick Thistle chief executive Gerry Britton admits the Jags would be left facing a £150,000 black hole if the rest of the campaign is cancelled.

But while the Firhill outfit – who recently cleared debts of £1.5 million with the help of late EuroMillions winner Colin Weir – could handle a three-month shutdown, Britton fears Thistle and a list of Scottish clubs would be put in peril if the coronavirus crisis carries on into next season.

“Given it’s very difficult to put a timescale on it we’re really just left in limbo,” he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound programme:

“The financial implications are massive across the whole game. We had looked at one scenario where we wouldn’t have any further income for the remainder of the season.

“The first estimates were that would cost us upwards of £150,000. For clubs of our size with the turnover we have, it’s a massive impact.

“We know [the shutdown] had to happen, we’re not complaining. It’s the reality and it’s about how we deal with it.

“We’re fortunate in a situation that we don’t have any debt at the club and we work to a break-even budget each season. So a club of our size might be able to pick up a shortfall to that extent. However, if it does roll into the new season then there would be serious repercussions for us in a financial sense.

“There are clubs who work from week to week and month to month.

“This is unprecedented and you’re not catering in your budget that you’ll go through a period without income coming in.

“I genuinely fear for a lot of the smaller clubs who are on a tipping point. A situation like this could very easily push some clubs under.”