FOOTBALL clubs and fans called on the government today to work with the sport and allow fans back inside stadiums sooner rather than later, or risk losing a host of clubs forever.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the October 1 plan of allowing limited number of supporters to attend games has been shelved for six months, with fears of a second lockdown.

However, English Football league and non-league clubs believe that there is a safe and responsible way of having fans at game over the upcoming weeks and are urging the Tories to commit to another U-turn, especially if people are allowed to continue drinking in pubs during this time period.

Without spectators, the fear is that teams will go under, with Forest Green chairman Dale Vince admitting that some clubs won’t be able to survive without fans, while Morecambe chairman Rod Taylor called on the government to loosen the purse strings and help out.

“There are always a handful of clubs that are on the edge anyway, every year,” Vince said.

“It is a major additional impact that many clubs will not be able to withstand.”

Taylor added: “We’re OK now and we’re probably OK for a couple of months. There’s got to be some sort of help from higher authorities, be it football or government, otherwise clubs will, without a shadow of a doubt, go under.”

Vince agreed with his Morecambe counterpart, pointing out that funds have been made available to the arts sector and restaurants with the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme.

“I think arguably the government has a responsibility,” he said.

“[It puts] £1.5 billion into the arts sector to keep that afloat, [it puts] £500 million into the hospitality sector just in August with the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, and sport is a big part of our society and our culture.

“The Premier League does have some responsibility to the lower leagues of football, because they can help out. I would hope that between them — and I know they would each prefer the other to do something — it gets done.”

Forest Green were one of the clubs who were allowed 1,000 fans at their stadium on Saturday and Vince said that it “was the most regulated, safest environment I’ve been in since lockdown began in March,” while slamming the contradictory stance of the Tories to have people in shops and not stadiums — where it’s easier to maintain social distancing.

“It was incredible and far safer than being in a shop, on a high street, in a pub, or even going to school. So if you look behind the headline impression, it is contradictory that you can still have pubs, you can still have schools, and retail, but we can’t have very tightly, very well-controlled sports games with fans.”

Dagenham managing director Steve Thompson believes that National League clubs need a bailout of £20m in order to keep the lights on.

“I believe that a package of between £15-20m for the National League would enable those clubs to start behind closed doors.

“The clubs are going to need this assistance from the government. It is only the government that can give us this money, there is no point going to the Premier League again, they have got their own problems with this.

“We can’t always be expecting the Premier League to bail us out. This is a government restriction on us being able to operate.

“[The government] now needs to step up. It stepped up before with the furlough and it was fantastic. We need this support to keep our clubs alive.

“Whatever it is considering we need to be told very, very quickly. This is a plea to the government to support the 67 clubs in the National League that are so important to their local communities.

“I am fearful, I can’t say that for certain, but I am fearful of clubs going out of business. There are livelihoods at stake, there are communities at stake.”

The Football Supporters Association (FSA) echoed the sentiments of clubs, saying that members “felt safer at games than they have done in many other social situations.” 

FSA chief executive Kevin Miles said: “We have written to the government to stress how important it is that we start to allow fans back into games.

“Having fans at games is of course not only important to the lives of supporters, it is also crucial to the survival of so many clubs who play a crucial role within their communities. A combination of revenue at the ground and government support is urgently needed to keep clubs going. The government has to listen to fans and football clubs on this one.”