Weâve taken this decision to protect our staff for the future, admits Zoe Ward
Norwich City executive Zoe Ward has said that the Canaries have used the UK governmentâs Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to furlough their staff to protect them. The top tier club were amongst many to undertake the decision to use the said scheme although a few sides have reversed their decision.
Newcastle United were the first club to use the UK governmentâs Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme with Norwich City, Tottenham and then Liverpool following suit. Reports indicated that a myriad of other clubs were all ready to do the same, including Manchester United, but the reaction to Liverpool using it made many change their minds. That saw the Reds and Spurs reverse their decision to use the scheme but both the Canaries and Magpies have stuck to their decision.
While their decision to do so has come under serious criticism, Norwich City executive Zoe Ward went onto admit that the club used the scheme to protect their employees. She further added that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused mayhem across the world and nobody knows when the situation might end and how much of a financial impact it might cause on Norwich City.
âWeâve taken this decision to protect our staff, not only now but in the future. We donât know where this is going, what will happen and what the impacts will be. We wouldnât want to have a situation where we donât furlough now and then six to 12 months down the line weâre having to look to make staff redundant,â Zoe Ward told the Athletic.
The Canaries are in dire financial straits with the Athletic reporting that theyâre set to lose anywhere between ÂŁ10 million and ÂŁ25 million with that being a realistic calculation. That would also mean a potential loss of ÂŁ35 million including their matchday income loss (ÂŁ9 million deficit) if games are played behind closed doors. However, Norwich Sporting director Stuart Webber went onto admit that their lack of spending in the summer is the only thing that is sustaining them now.
âWe get criticised for (not spending money) but at the moment, thank god we have done it like that because it means weâre not having sleepless nights thinking how are we going to pay Aprilâs wages? Mayâs wages? Juneâs wages? We can take a bit more time because of our financial planning plus the collaborations and discipline we show to make sure we live within our meansâ Webber told The Athletic.
âWe can now get the benefits of that because weâre not a club under huge pressure, but we know hard days are coming for us and everyone. I havenât given any thought to how other clubs are doing. Weâve got to protect our club and community first, and then we need to protect the wider game of football,â he added.
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments