Handsworth manager Russ Eagle has called for urgent financial assistance for Tier 3 affected clubs who need help.
South Yorkshire was plunged into the Government’s new Tier 3 lockdown rules last week and West Yorkshire is expected to follow them very soon.
Some clubs are increasingly concerned at the direction of travel given under Tier 3, bars have to be shut and gate receipts could take a massive hit as any spectator living out of the particular area cannot travel.
In calling out for financial help, Eagle joins Chris Hilton, Roy Mason and Shane Kelsey in the list of managers who openly aired their concerns.
“I 100% agree with him (Athersley Rec manager Shane Kelsey) that it (Tier 3) is unsustainable for a lot of clubs,” Eagle told Non League Yorkshire.
“For a club like theirs and ours, it depends on people coming through the gate from the community and out of the community. It is a massive blow.
“We have a big club where our parents, managers like to come into our bar and we can’t do it. It affects us and it will keep affecting us.
“Financial support has got to come. I’m a business owner and if I don’t get financial help I have to make people redundant and I don’t think it is no different at our level of football.
“Clubs need financial support for the losses on gate receipts and bar taking. Tier 3 is affecting the day to day running of clubs.
“It needs to happen now and not in three weeks, six weeks or when we come out of Tier 3. It has to be now so people can carry on.
“I don’t think there has been any help for clubs who have gone into Tier 3. The only thing we get is rules and regulations, ‘you have to do this, you have got to do this’. There’s no ‘do you need any money to implement it’?
“It is hard for us as a club because we have got on our feet and now we can’t have any bar or interaction after a game on a midweek or Saturday.
“(Speaking before the postponement) For the game (at Liversedge tomorrow) our fans cannot travel which is not good. It is the same for Garforth on Saturday. They shouldn’t be bringing anyone as they can’t go into a Tier 3.
“Then we play Mansfield (at home) and again they can’t bring anyone and it is knock after knock and somebody needs to help us.”