Express & Star

Leigh Pomlett: Walsall are prepared for no games until October

Walsall chairman Leigh Pomlett has revealed that the club is prepared for no games until October, if football in League Two does not return for another four months.

Published
Last updated

The current campaign was suspended on March 7 and is expected to be curtailed following a vote from clubs in the fourth tier next week.

There is currently no timeline to determine when football could return for the 2020/21 season and Pomlett has said the club is prepared for the possibility of no solid income until October.

“We’ve made an assumption that the club is effectively in hibernation until October, which is a fairly cautious view of the future, I hope,” he said.

“Then we’ll review it based on what really happens. If it starts early it will be fantastic, it it starts later we’ll have to review the planning.

“We don’t know whether there will be supporters in the stadium by then, I hope and pray they will be, but if not then some form of televising the games will have to be our revenue coming in from that.

“We’re assuming there will be some sort of revenue as of October for all aspects of the business but we’ve been very cautious in the planning because we don’t know if we can use the restaurant of bars.

“We’ll find ways around it, it will be the creative ones that get through this.”

Meanwhile, Pomlett has also said that he has a ‘12-month’ plan to keep the club afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

The crisis has hit football clubs hard, particularly those lower down the pyramid, due to a lack of regular income.

The Saddlers have had to use the government furlough scheme, while other staff have taken temporary pay cuts and some have worked voluntarily.

Pomlett has previously spoken about daily meetings with the club’s board to discuss the finances and he has now discussed the financial plan they have in place to keep the club going for another year – in the hope that football returns by then.

“We have a 12-month plan to get us through this, making some assumptions and those assumptions might change,” he added.

“If they do we’ll review the plan.

“It’s driven by the finances. We look at a cash flow plan and we’re able to assess every day, with a formal review every week, to to make sure we don’t get into any financial problems.

“We have a fairly robust plan to get through this year, but it’s a financial plan driven by all the different activities going on around the club.”