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NON-league football clubs at steps three to six of the National League system will share in a government grant of up to £10 million to help keep them afloat through the coronavirus pandemic.
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston announced that the grant, covering the “Trident” Leagues of the Northern Premier, Southern Premier and Isthmian Leagues and those below, will “protect the immediate future of approximately 850 clubs.”
It 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.
However, 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.”
Clubs at steps one and two are mulling three options, which involve accepting the loans, taking grants from the National League which would itself take on the loan – potentially impacting future levels of central funding – or suspending the season.
