IFA furloughs staff until further notice amid coronavirus shutdown
Credit: Clare McCahill (ETPhotos)
The Irish Football Association has furloughed a number of staff until further notice as a result of the ongoing crisis surround coronavirus.
The Northern Irish football authority announced it will take up the UK government’s scheme of financial support that will see up to 80% of some employees’ pay covered by social welfare.
A statement released on Wednesday also called on the government to include sports clubs in the £10,000 small business support grant as they seek to work their way through the shutdown.
There has been no football in Northern Ireland since the NIFL Premiership was suspended on March 13th with six rounds of fixtures still to play.
The national team are due to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a Euro 2020 play-off, the original date having been postponed due to the outbreak in March.
“In line with the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Irish FA has placed a number of staff on furlough until further notice,” read the statement signed by chief executive Patrick Nelson.
“We hope to be able to facilitate a return to work for these staff members as soon as possible.”
Nelson highlight the pressures faced by Northern Irish clubs and called on the Northern Ireland Executive to include them in the business support grants schemes.
“As an organisation we continue to work hard to help tackle and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have called on the Northern Ireland Executive to provide financial support for Northern Ireland’s senior football clubs and written to the Executive asking it to ensure football is included in the recently announced Business Support Grant Schemes.
“Currently sports clubs are not eligible for the £10,000 small business support grant scheme so we called for sports clubs to be included in the recently announced cash grant for Hospitality, Tourism and Retail and that the scheme matches that in England which awards £10k for businesses with a rates NAV below £15k and £25,000 for businesses with a rates NAV between £15k and £51k.”
