Meanwhile, other football clubs across Wales – left struggling to pay their bills during the lockdown period – are also breathing a sigh of relief.
Fishguard Sports AFC was successful in its application for a grant and are ploughing it into the cost of pitch maintenance which includes reseeding, fertilising and sanding.
Owen Duggan explains how Covid-19 has affected the club’s financial situation: “This has made a huge difference to our club which has lost in the region of £4500. We really thank Sport Wales for a very quick turnaround on this grant. This really will ensure the future of the club is safe from a financial perspective and we just await the end of this horrible pandemic so all of our teams are back out on the pitch with smiles on their faces.”
The spring and summer seasons are busy periods for sports clubs, and are a time in which many undertake the majority of their fundraising activity. Penycae FC, near Wrexham, for example, ordinarily generates the bulk of its income between March and June.
“Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, all our events that we had planned were cancelled and our clubhouse was closed,” explains Colin Jackson from the club. “We were fortunate we were able to cancel or suspend a lot of monthly bills which was a relief but there were still some that we had to pay.
“With no income at all at the moment, our successful grant application thankfully has enabled us to pay these bills over the next few months and not leave us using our reserves which will be needed over the winter months when it is far more difficult to generate income.”
