‘There is a growing desperation’ – Phil Hay shares latest stance of EFL clubs on finishing season
There is still a chance that Leeds United fans will be able to attend the club’s final nine games of the season, based on an update by The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.
According to the former Yorkshire Evening Post reporter, there is “a growing desperation” among EFL clubs to complete the season with fans in the stadium, even though talk of playing matches behind closed doors has been ramped up in recent days.
Earlier this week, the EFL sent a letter to clubs saying that they plan to finish the 2019/20 season within a period of 56 days – but with no fans in attendance.
However a lot of EFL clubs rely heavily on matchday income as clubs received the money for broadcasting matches at the start of the season, which is different to how the TV deal in the Premier League works.
Clubs in the Premier League are more receptive to the idea of playing behind closed doors because the money generated on matchday fails to live up to the money they generate from the league’s TV deal.
Hay has explained why there could be increased calls for fans to attend the final matches of the season in the Championship, League One and League Two.
“I know that the Premier League are talking about the possibility of finishing the season behind closed doors,” he said on the Phil Hay podcast on The Athletic website.
“I think the reason that they’re very open to that is because the main concern in that league is the broadcast revenue they receive, the broadcast contracts they have to uphold and making sure the money isn’t lost as a result of the games being voided or not played. Simply because the sums involved are so vast.
“But when you go down into the EFL, you find that most of the TV revenue is paid at the start of the season. It’s already been received by the clubs and the broadcast implications are of no real relevance.
“There is a growing desperation for games to be completed in front of paying crowds because clubs do need the matchday revenue, they do need the income. TV money, in that instance, is not going to make any difference.”
If fans are going to be allowed to attend matches then that means the Championship will not be able to reconvene for a long time.
However if the Premier League is able to reach a conclusion behind closed doors, then the EFL will be left to play catch up with the top-flight and surely that won’t happen.
Anything the Premier League does is likely to be copied by the EFL so that the seasons remain aligned.
In other Leeds United news, Patrick Bamford has shared his thoughts on how the season should end.