Scottish FA hands £1.5m coronavirus aid to clubs

The Scottish FA board will distribute advance funds of around £1.5 million to member clubs to help them deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Scottish FA president Rod Petrie

Many clubs are facing major concerns over their sustainability without regular match day income following the suspension of fixtures throughout Scotland until further notice.

In response, the Scottish FA has brought forward payments which would have been due at the end of 2020 through its Club Licensing and Club Academy Scotland schemes.

The amounts clubs receive will be based on their 2019 Licensing levels which are either Entry, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum, while 50 percent of the annual Club Academy Scotland payments will go to all of those enrolled in that programme.

“I am pleased to announce the immediate cash payments to members of Club Licensing and Club Academy Scotland amounts which were budgeted to be paid later this year,” said Scottish FA president Rod Petrie.

“Given the financial uncertainty faced by clubs, we have looked at areas of distribution where we can accelerate and pay now, rather than wait to pay on the usual distribution dates.

“The combined amount forward funded in this way is approximately £1.5m, which we believe will be of great support to clubs who face uncertainty and, worse still, a significant loss of revenue as a result of the impact of coronavirus in Scotland.

“I would like to thank our chief executive, Ian Maxwell, and the Operations Board for their expediency in enabling us to bring forward the payments.”