Coronavirus: Welsh Rugby Union offers financial support to clubs
- Published
Wales' Six Nations match against Scotland was called off 24 hours before kick-off
The Welsh Rugby Union is offering financial support to its clubs to fight the impact of coronavirus.
A WRU statement confirmed grant payments due at the end of April will be made and high-priority cases will be entitled to emergency funding.
It also confirmed that all clubs will receive an additional £1,000 funding as part of its contingency plans.
"Our commitment is to do everything possible to safeguard the future of our game in Wales," said the statement.
"Our goal is simple. We plan to emerge from this crisis with the WRU and all teams and clubs, whether they be amateur, semi-professional or professional, intact and able to have a sustainable future."
In order to achieve that goal, the WRU says it will make "a substantial loss" this year.
The WRU also says it will need help from the Welsh Government but has not yet approached it for support because "the nation's health and well-being is clearly more important".
The additional £1,000 funding to each club excludes the £100,000 already provided to flood-affected clubs.
While the additional emergency funding will be offered, the WRU said it is "unlikely" to have the resources to meet all needs, but it will prioritise when allocating funds.
The measures to cope with the crisis also include:
Directly updating all clubs every Wednesday on an ongoing basis
Seeking counsel from organisations outside Welsh rugby, including Welsh Government
Taking all reasonable actions to reduce costs
Mobilising rugby development staff and vehicles to provide assistance to the more vulnerable
Interpreting government-led state packages and providing advice to clubs on what aid is available
All forms of rugby in Wales have already been suspended until the end of March because of the coronavirus outbreak.
For now the WRU says it does not know when rugby will resume, though it expects it to be a matter of months rather than weeks.
As it announced emergency funding for clubs on Wednesday, the WRU also said it was working closely with all stakeholders including the Welsh Rugby Players' Association, the Professional Rugby Board - which oversees the professional game in Wales - the Community Rugby Board, clubs and districts, its commercial partners, sponsors and broadcasters.
"We will all have to make difficult choices and compromises," the WRU's statement continued.
"We also know we will need to evolve our plan as things change and as new information comes to light.
"We can assure you any decisions made by the WRU will be made with the best interests of everyone in the game and with the best information available at that point in time."