Coronavirus: 'Cataclysmic' for Solihull Moors if National League season does not start on schedule

Solihull Moors finished ninth in the National League last season after final positions were decided on average points per game

Solihull Moors chairman Darryl Eales feels not starting the National League season would be "cataclysmic", but says £25m of Premier League support would save every fifth and sixth-tier club.

The league's board will meet from 14:00 BST on Thursday to decide on whether to start the season on 3 October.

The latest rise in coronavirus cases has prompted the government to postpone the return of crowds to elite sport.

Clubs in non-league rely on fans' attendance for most of their income.

Some teams in the top two tiers of non-league feel they cannot afford to play behind closed doors, but Moors believe the season must start without crowds.

"The problem is, different clubs are in different financial positions," Eales told BBC Radio 4's Today. "We've had a full pre-season paying players, so we're ready to go, and it would be cataclysmic for us if the season doesn't start.

"All clubs depend on gate revenues and all the infrastructure around those revenues in terms of hospitality sponsorship, so I can understand the dilemma.

"I think it's incumbent on clubs to be innovative and not just sort of take on victim status.

"With fans and hospitality, we probably take revenue of about £25,000 a game, so if we could live stream and get 1,500 fans paying £10 to watch, you'd probably recover £15,000, so streaming would go a long way to covering the gap, and obviously you could then get people to sponsor the game."

'£25m could save us all'

The National League, as well as the sixth-tier National Leagues North and South, are classed as elite sport by the government.

But the league does not have a lucrative television deal and clubs get most of their revenue through matchday income.

Clubs have been examining live streaming their matches, similar to clubs in the English Football League, in an attempt to generate some revenue.

Asked how large a financial contribution from the Premier League would be needed to save every club in tiers five and six, Eales replied: "I would say that £25m would ensure the survival of all clubs in the National League, National League North and National League South.

"Certainly, if clubs in the National League got let's say £500,000 additional support for this season, then I think everybody would be happy."

But what if that money is not forthcoming?

"Sadly I think there's an inevitability that some clubs will go out of business," Eales added.

"More importantly or similarly, I think a lot of local owners such as myself will question why you're putting in £20,000, £30,000 or £40,000 a month to support a local club if there's no football."