The football association has announced it will lay off 124 jobs as it faces potential losses of £ 300m as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
With canceled matches, games without crowds and the interruption of concerts and entertainment in Wembley, cuts are made throughout the FA.
“We don’t know what the future holds,” said chairman Greg Clarke. “Making suggestions that reduce our workforce to solve our urgent financial problems is the most difficult decision that the board of directors and senior management team have to make.
“The problem is that the pandemic will be followed by an economic recession. There will be problems that will last for years, so we have to deal with them. But we have to deal with them with compassion for our employees and respect for the team. All areas of the FA will be affected. “
The IA will go through a consultation process to identify 82 job losses and 42 vacancies prior to the pandemic will not be filled. With an estimated loss of between £ 100m and £ 150m, a forecast loss of £ 300m has been calculated if the virus should be widespread this year.
The Guardian is aware that the FA has set up a new credit facility that will equal £ 75m annually over the next four years. According to Mark Bullingham, the CEO, the FA’s responsibilities will also decrease.
“We have a responsibility to maintain our core functions that regulate and serve English football,” he said. “We also have a duty to support our men’s and women’s senior teams in their efforts to win major tournaments. That said, we made some difficult decisions in our proposals because we don’t think we can afford to do all the things we did before. We believe that the impact of this crisis will force us to focus more than ever on our top priorities. “
The areas in which savings are sought have not been confirmed and a consultation phase is expected to begin.
“The financial challenge we face is significant,” said Bullingham. “Since March, we’ve lost all revenue from events at Wembley and all other future bookings like the music concerts in August and the NFL games in October. Our hospitality revenue from Wembley Stadium, which normally delivers around £ 35m a year, has dropped completely and is likely to take years to recover.
“In addition, many of our sponsors and broadcasters are badly affected by the pandemic, and again we are unable to deliver the content that we are committed to. This puts financial pressure on us because in some cases we have to pay compensation, for example when events are canceled. “
