Dover Athletic: National League club places entire staff on furlough as season continues

Jim Parmenter's club are second-bottom of the National League

Dover Athletic have placed their management, players, and staff on furlough despite the National League season continuing.

They will play no fixtures until "appropriate funding" is available.

Club chairman Jim Parmenter has funded Dover since government grants ended in December, but said financial reserves are now exhausted.

"We are operating in unprecedented times. We have to make difficult decisions," he said.

"We wanted to leave the decision that has been made as long as possible before making this final announcement in the hope a support package may appear.

"Unfortunately no support has been forthcoming, so it is with the deepest regret that the club must now furlough all staff and players and reduce operations to a bare minimum."

National League clubs were told grants would be replaced by loans from January.

Parmenter told BBC Radio Kent on Wednesday that the club had "run out of money" and warned they would only continue with fresh grant funding as "small clubs like Dover just can't afford to take large loans".

League officials have pledged to publish the results of resolutions on how the season will be resolved following last month's vote by National League clubs.

Last August, Dover's 14 contracted players were made available on free transfers in a bid to cut costs and ease financial pressures caused by the pandemic.

The Kent club have sent their three loan players - Harry Ransom (Millwall), Ryan Hanson (Hull City), and Oliver Webber (Crystal Palace) - back to their parent clubs.

"For 15 years, I have run the club without debt and I do not intend to change that now," Parmenter added.

Dover are second from bottom of the National League having only played 15 games this season - the fewest in the division - and have not played since 30 January.

They were scheduled to face Sutton United on Tuesday.