By Richard Bright
Fourteen hockey clubs in England have so far applied for Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund following the coronavirus pandemic.
The fund has already secured the futures of more than 2,000 sports clubs struggling with the lockdown, with grassroots organisations receiving a total of £8 million of funding.
The £20m emergency fund is part of Sport England’s wider £195m package of support set up in response to the current crisis.
From the applications received, clubs and organisations have revealed problems amounting to rent, insurance, maintenance and utility bills.
“The fact that this fund alone is getting close to 7,000 application in three or four weeks tells you everything about the scale of the potential impact of the shutdown,” said Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England’s chief executive.
Grassroots sport has been in lockdown since March and many believe that clubs across the UK would be better suited to return to action before Premier League football does.
Dutch junior hockey returned to action on Wednesday, with the national teams set to adhere to a 1.5 metre distancing rule when training resumes from today.
Is your club affected by coronavirus? What is your club doing to stave off the financial impact? Does your club have plans in place to keep afloat and seek a boost in membership when hockey returns? We would like to hear your news and views.
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