National League needs to demand more to help clubs after pittance from Premier League

Newcastle are poised for a £300m takeover, with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment on and off the pitch to follow.

They are set to thrive, meanwhile for Pools and fellow National League clubs it is all about survival.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought football to a standstill, with the National League asking its members to vote on what should happen when it comes to ending the campaign.

They are recommending it be ended with promotion and relegation issues then decided separately.

Talk about a lack of leadership. It shouldn’t be up to the clubs to decide, every club will have its own agenda.

The National League, whose communication has been poor throughout this whole episode, should call the shots. Sure consult with clubs, but it shouldn’t be down to them to decide.

The other big news last week was that the Premier League was providing the EFL and National League with funding worth £125m.

Wow. Fair play, the top flight doing its bit to help those clubs further down the pyramid. Hold on, though. On closer inspection, that money isn’t new funding. And when you break it down, it isn’t much at all.

It’s an advancement of the annual solidarity payments due in August anyway to clubs in the Championship, League One, League Two and the National League plus NL North and South.

So, of the £125m handed down, the National League board has received £2million.

Each National League club, including Hartlepool United, will receive £58,333 and £13,636 each to those in the North and South divisions.

Yes it will help in terms of cashflow issues now given clubs don’t have any matchday income, commercial or hospitality revenue coming in but this isn’t new money.

It is money clubs were due anyway and all it means is that they will be short of that cash when next season kicks in. Well, those clubs that survive this crisis.

Yes it is right for football to take a back seat but there are growing fears that some clubs lower down the pyramid could go to the wall as a result of the coronavirus suspension with it not yet clear a) when football will return and b) when fans will be allowed into grounds to watch the games. Clubs at this level rely heavily on matchday income.

Pools are not exempt from the issues facing football clubs up and down the country. As we know some staff, many of whom had worked at the club for many years, were made redundant last week.

Players have taken a pay cut, while they train at home and keep themselves ticking over and wait to hear when they can return to work.

These are hard and troubled times for clubs with many facing some extremely difficult decisions. And more to come.

The National League chairman released a press statement on Tuesday thanking the Premier League for their ‘gesture’.

And that’s all it was.

National League Chairman, Brian Barwick, said: “I am delighted that the relationship between the Premier League and the National League remains so strong.

“We are very grateful that the Premier League have advanced us monies to be able to distribute to our clubs in the coming days.

“It is a gesture that will bring some welcome relief to many of the clubs in our league. It is appreciated.”

Barwick may have been playing a canny game, not wanting to upset the Premier League at a sensitive time but he should be banging the drum for the National League clubs much more loudly.

Communication has to be better, demand for more help has to be stronger and greater leadership from the very top when it comes to decision making.

Truth be told the money for each club is a pittance, almost an insult, given the challenges they face currently.

Yes, the Premier League has their own issues to contend with in terms of TV revenue cash and whether or not some of that may have to be paid back if the season isn’t concluded and the knock-on effect of that.

But one thing that has to emerge from this crisis is a fairer distribution of cash down the football pyramid.

Yes it is the responsibility of National League clubs to ensure they are well run and sustainable but the vast sums of cash, grotesque at times, at the top end of the pyramid is totally out of kilter with the everyday reality for clubs in the bottom tiers.

Clubs that pay a huge part in people’s lives, often the heartbeat of their communities.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, a part-owner of League Two side Salford City who won promotion from the National League last season, said recently: “The distribution of funds across football needs to be fairer. At this moment it's about football protecting itself and coming out the other side.”

He’s right.

The top of the football pyramid needs to do more, much more, to provide help and financial support to all clubs lower down the leagues.

Otherwise, the brutal truth is that there may not be much of a football pyramid to return to when this crisis is over.

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