Scottish government announces £55m funding package for spectator sports

The Scottish government say their £55m funding package has been targeted at sports “vulnerable of going under”.

Scottish football is to receive £30m – with £20m of that going to Premiership clubs as “low-interest” loans.

The remaining £10m will be in the form of grants for all tiers below the top-flight, including the women’s game.

Rugby union will get £20m – £5m loans and £15m grants – while ice rinks and horse racing will get £2m each. Another £1m will be split between other sports.

Further discussions on the detail of the distribution will take place later, with Scottish FA president Rod Petrie saying his organisation “eagerly await details of the conditions” attached.

Sports minister Joe Fitzpatrick said the government had sought input from Active Scotland and sportscotland before the funding package was decided.

“What I was particularly keen to do is to make sure we sustain those sports that were vulnerable to going under,” he told BBC Scotland.

“We had to look at which sports would be able to support a loan. In the Premiership, in particular, there is significant income streams continuing to flow.”

Fitzpatrick acknowledged those revenues were significantly less without spectators and reiterated that the government want fans to return to stadiums “as soon as it’s safe to do so”.

Up to 300 are permitted if an event is in a level one area, with Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders assuming that status on Friday to join the Highlands, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.

Sportscotland informed ministers last month that the spectator sport sector had lost around £100m since March.

The national agency for sport argued support was needed to safeguard jobs and prevent insolvency.

"It should be noted that top-flight English men's football has not received financial support of this kind from the UK government," said First minister Nicola Sturgeon upon announcing the package. '[The] support package taken in its entirety will be well in excess of the Barnett consequentials announced as a result of the investment announced last month by the UK government."

‘Wonderful news’ – the reaction

Scottish Rugby and Scottish Racing both welcomed the announcement, with Perth Racecourse chief executive Hazel Peplinski describing it as “wonderful news off the back of a really really tough year”.

Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson said it was “a massive boost at a critical time”.

“We have had to make difficult decisions to look at how we can keep rugby financially afloat as we move into 2021,” he said. “I’d like to thank the Scottish Government for its generous and timely support which will underwrite rugby in the months and years ahead.”

However, the reaction from football has been mixed. St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin said the news was “brilliant” and “probably is the right way round”.

Livingston chief executive John Ward added: “I’d have been far more open to grants but by the same token football is being allowed to function just now.”

And Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes remarked: “It seems like a lot of money but when you spread that out over everybody that has got a case for it and who is going to be in need of it… I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it is not going to go the full way for us. We have still got loads to do.”

Original article 10.12.20 on the BBC Sport website.

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