Scarborough RUFC CEO Young: Pandemic has significant consequences

Young admitted the postponement of league action has hit the club’s coffers hard, and that due to the heavy-contact nature of the sport, he doesn’t see an imminent return to fixtures.

The RFU revealed last week that action won’t get back underway until January 2021 at the earliest.

“As a full contact sport, rugby is still some way off being permitted to be played in its traditional form,” said Young.

“The postponement of league rugby has significant financial consequences and in effect all rugby related trading revenue has been lost.

“This includes all matchday income, all bar trading, a large amount of sponsorship and advertising and all rugby related dinners and functions.

“In addition to this all large private functions and conferences are also prevented from restarting.”

There are positives after the club’s thriving junior section have started to return to training at Silver Royd.

New coach Matty Jones is also continuing to put the club’s senior players through their paces.

Young added: “Not all the news in respect of rugby is negative.

“Unless the guidance changes, mini and junior rugby is restarting and we see no reason why an active and vibrant winter season cannot be enjoyed by the children and young people at the club.

“Senior training is underway in a restricted way and the coaches, led by Matty Jones, are doing a wonderful job.”

The Scarborough RUFC chief executive admits the club may not return to financial normality until September 2021 and has issued a rally cry for their members to help them see out this testing period.

The club had hoped that operations would crank back to somewhere near pre-Covid-19 levels by Christmas, but they are now planning for that not to come to fruition until September 2021.

“The original expectation was that by Christmas we had hoped to be somewhere back to normal in most respects of club life,” Young said in his open letter to Scarborough RUFC members.

“Evidently this will no longer be the case.

“From a financial modelling point of view we are now working on a beginning of a ‘return’ to normal from September 2021.

“In effect we are facing 18 months of reduced income while bearing similar fixed costs for this period.

“As I mentioned earlier the club will prevail through this challenge and we remain financially robust but our future cashflow projections are based upon the continued support of our membership.

“Hopefully through a collective effort we will all propel our club forward.”