I have to say, im concerned about the impact of a ban on mass gatherings and sports matches on Widnes Vikings.
It will almost certainly mean admin for at least one or two of the League 1 clubs I think, but i really fear some Championship clubs with more chequered financial histories may also suffer a similar fate if they cant bring in gate receipts for two or three months (or more) while having to pay players, staff etc. Sadly, whether we like it or not, that includes Widnes.
Once the inevitable ban happens, I would hope that some sort of statement will come from the club regarding our ability to ride out a major loss of income like that. Perhaps a crowdfunder drive might be in order.....
They can't come out with a statement as they won't know how long the games will be off for so it's impossible to say. What is for sure is today's game will be the last until at least April. The Championship and League 1 have virtually no central funding so playing behind closed doors isn't an option like football.
I'm going today, quick poll, who's going today and who's staying at home?
Assume the club will wait for the RFL to make a definitive statement before acting. Agree this could be the last game for a fair while. But me and the missus are going, but my dad isn't. Hopefully the crowd will be up on the Oldham attendance.
Going
I'm going but the OH isn't.
A four game suspension would only map out the same as a severe winter, but the mooted 4 month 'solitary' for anyone over 70yrs is a bit OTT at the moment in my view. We have a chunk of our supporters in that age category.
Try it for a month and if infection results don't improve extend by another four weeks, and so on. The vision of twelve weeks housebound and match free is horrendous (have you watched daytime TV?!!!)
Our club will no doubt be paying its players and, hopefully, has the readies, backed by VIQI, to do that for a month at least. After that honesty with the supporters might prompt another crowd fund effort, but my feeling is that they will try to weather the storm without, if at all possible.
As has been said some clubs just will not be in such a position. Maybe Rimmer will offer some of his £300k?
I will be going with my lad.
People are losing their heads already. I was just out looking for UHT milk and it's cleared out. On the way back I drove past a street on my satnav...called Reaper Close😯I wonder how close?
I'd like to think we would be OK.
The monthly VIQI contributions surely put us on a much sounder footing than the majority of clubs, even Super League ones.
bet leigh are paying out a fair few quid for contracts
I’m going today but suspect it might be the last time for a while. The government is expected to ban outdoors gatherings later this week and our next home game is Toulouse who may or may not want/be allowed to travel anyway. Hopefully everything gets back to normal in all aspects of life sooner rather than later
This time last year, having just come out of admin, with a full time squad and precarious finances, the virus could've been the death knell.
This year, with a mostly part time squad of players who have fulltime jobs elsewhere, will that mean that our future is not as precarious i.e. will their contracts with us be mostly appearance based so they wont get paid unless they play? I have never had anything to do with running a professional rugby club so wouldnt have a scooby do really.
I reckon SL clubs would feel the pinch even more.
If clubs are forced to close, wont they be able to access some sort of insurance (if they have it).
When we do come out of all this, you can bet insurance premiums rocket.
Apparently clubs are struggling with business interruption insurance because coronavirus doesn't count on it.
Players will be on contracts even if they are part-time.
Every club will take a financial hit. As has been hinted at our VIQI money will put us in a better position than some clubs but If the season gets put back for an extended period or (worse still) cancelled and the club loses all the on the day income from matches that’s going to leave a big hole in the finances surely.
Based on advice from health officials and the RFL regarding Covid-19, Widnes Vikings can inform supporters of changes to match day protocols until further notice.
In order to protect the health and safety of players and fans there will be limited interactions in the lead up to, and on the day of, Vikings fixtures.
All fixtures are set to go ahead following government advice, however in the event of any changes supporters will be informed via our website and social media channels.
For Sunday’s fixture with Swinton Lions, the following restrictions will be in place:
Players will not hold hands with any mascots
Players should limit any physical contact with supporters at venues
Players are advised to avoid handshakes, hugs, high fives
Players are advised not to take items from supporters for signing
All players, officials and supporters are asked to follow the government advice on hand hygiene and protect themselves and others from spreading the infection
Any further information which is communicated to the club from the government and/or RFL will be passed on to supporters.
Public Health England guidance on infection control and the advice regarding what everyone can do to reduce the risk of catching Coronavirus, states you should:
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze. Catch it, Bin it, Kill it.
Put used tissues in the bin straight away.
Wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
In the event of confirmed cases and in line with the current advice from the Government’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser this requires those people in close contact with confirmed cases to self-isolate.
A link to the most up to date Government guidance is included below and contains advice on what to do if a member of the public becomes unwell and believe they have been exposed to COVID-19.
That advice remains that If the person has not been to specified areas (via overseas travel) in the last 14 days, then normal practice should continue in that organisation. For contacts of a suspected case, no restrictions or special control measures are required while laboratory test results for COVID19 are awaited.
Further guidance is included below if you have symptoms of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), however mild, the advice is to stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when your symptoms started. This action will help protect others in your community whilst you are infectious.
People at the RFL are paid to run the game - pretty poorly run by all accounts - and should be making (have made) plans to help clubs through this crisis. With little central funding, League 1 and Championship clubs will rely to a large extent on income from match days and could face financial meltdown if the games are postponed for several months, with no funds to pay players or bills.
Hopefully, when the restrictions are lifted, the season can resume. If necessary, what is wrong in extending the season to the end of December to enable all games to be played In the meantime, the RFL/SL should be looking at ways at keeping clubs afloat until the games can be resumed.
I am sure that, with the support from WISSL and fans generally, Widnes will come through this.
What can the RFL do realistically? They can't just find a money tree. They are as impacted by the issue as any normal business would be.