WIREDGOV

Horse racing, rugby league, speedway and drag racing to benefit from latest tranche of government funding; further support also provided to more National League System football clubs across Steps 1-6

The Government has announced the latest tranche of funding from the winter phase of its Sport Survival Package, which will see £40 million provided to horse racing, rugby league, speedway and drag racing, alongside approximately £10 million in further support for National League football clubs across Steps 1-6.

The horse racing industry will benefit from £21 million in loan support, committed to the Levy Board. The funding will ensure essential race day integrity costs and related health and safety expenditure are safeguarded, enabling the Levy Board to continue their programme of financial support and funding into the industry which has suffered considerably as a result of Covid-19.

Men’s professional Rugby League clubs will receive a further £16.7 million in loans, delivered as a top-up to the existing £16 million emergency loan scheme provided by the Government in May 2020, to reflect current circumstances. This is in addition to £1.45 million of grant support from the scheme for the community and women’s games which complements £300,000 grassroots financial support through the Sport England Tackling Inequalities Fund. It follows the National Lottery announcing it had become an official partner of the Rugby Football League and of Women’s and Girls’ Rugby League last week.

Motorsports on both two wheels and four will also benefit, with Speedway clubs and Europe’s first permanent drag racing venue set to receive funding. Speedway clubs have been offered £300,000 in loan support, while Santa Pod Raceway will receive £843,000 in loan support.

Meanwhile a further 20 clubs across Steps 1 and 2 of the National League system will receive funding of loans and grants worth £6.8 million, bringing the total provided to clubs at these levels through the winter phase of the Sport Survival Package to £11.5 million. It follows the Government announcing an initial 19 Step 1 and 2 clubs had been offered loan packages worth up to £5.4 million on 19 February.

Steps 3-6 of the National League System have also been awarded a further £3.1 million of grant support, following up to £10 million grant funding for clubs in Steps 3-6 being announced on 27 January. This will bring the total support for the 880 clubs at Steps 3-6 of the National League system to up to £13.1 million, with funds again to be distributed to clubs through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, administered by the Football Foundation.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden yesterday said:

We promised to stand by and protect our major spectator sports when we had to postpone fans returning.

Through our Sport Survival Package and existing business support schemes, we have helped hundreds of clubs to survive this difficult winter period. As the turnstiles begin to open over the coming weeks, players, staff and fans across the country can now look forward to a full return to action with confidence.

Chair of the independent Board, Sir Ian Cheshire yesterday said:

As we look to the conclusion of the Winter phase of the Sport Survival Package, this tranche of £50 million in support funding for rugby league, horse racing, speedway, drag racing, and clubs playing in football’s National League will ensure these clubs and organisations are able to sufficiently recover from the financial impact of the pandemic.

Following the government’s announcement that a further £300 million of Sport Survival funding has been made available, the Independent Board will now focus on getting this funding to those summer spectator sports in most urgent need.

Click here for the full press release