Premier League donates £125 million to lower leagues, £20 million to NHS

English Premier League shareholders met on Friday to discuss the state of the league, and didn’t come away with many answers. The league finally acknowledged it has no idea when play can resume due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that there is no chance of restarting the league in the first week of May as previously planned.

Premier League rules dictate the league season must be finished by June 1 except in extraordinary circumstances, and a pandemic certainly seems to qualify. Many players have contracts that expire June 30, and there’s no word yet on what will happen to those players if teams are playing Premier League matches in July.

The most productive thing to come out of the meeting was the league’s decision to offer financial support to both lower league football and the National Health Service. The Premier League is offering £125 million in financial assistance to tiers 2-6 of English Football, stating:

The league unanimously voted to advance funds of £125 million to the EFL and National League as it is aware of the severe difficulties clubs throughout the football pyramid are suffering at this time.

Clubs in danger of going bankrupt also look likely to get some financial assistance from FIFA, though that could take several months.

Another £20 million is being allocated to help the NHS and its workers.

In consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Premier League is immediately committing £20 million to support the NHS, communities, families and vulnerable groups during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This includes a direct financial contribution to the NHS and funds to enable clubs to refocus their efforts and develop significant outreach programmes to help communities, including those most in need.

The Premier League, Professional Footballers Association, and clubs are also planning to meet Saturday to discuss a salary reduction and/or deferral structure that all parties consider fair.