Peterhead FC forced to cut 29-staff jobs

Peterhead Football Club have confirmed 29 part-time and occasional staff are to be made redundant at the end of this month.

The north-east club began their Scottish League One season two weeks ago but no fans as of yet have been allowed back into grounds since lockdown began in March.

A club statement stated the decision was “made as last resort” but the Covid-19 impact has had a “catastrophic impact” as the UK Government’s furlough schemes ends on Saturday.

The statement read: “Despite matches having resumed behind closed doors at the beginning of this month, the fact there are no fans and no games has placed serious financial constraints on the club.

“With the exception of the new and innovative Coffee Shop which is running on reduced hours and with a skeleton staff, the stark reality is there is no work for the vast majority of our dedicated team of staff.

“Many of those effected are single parents who rely on their jobs with the club to supplement their income and in many cases their jobs provide the only social interaction they have outside the family home.

“There are also a number of instances where more than one family member from the same household will be impacted”.

The club have received financial aid through grant funding made available through James Anderson via the SPFL Trust and they thanked Mr Anderson for his generosity, however that the funding “is ring-fenced for community based projects only”.

“Peterhead FC's reputation for providing top class hospitality at Balmoor Stadium is second to none and is often the envy of clubs playing at a far higher level than that of SPFL1. A large proportion of the credit for that is down to the quality of our dedicated staff, a fact that has not been lost on the Board, “ the statement added.

“Everyone at the club has taken their share of the financial cut-backs over the recent months including the players, senior staff and management.

“The club are indebted to everyone who has helped to shoulder the financial burden and the decision to let staff go has only been made after a great deal consideration and deliberation, and only after every other alternative option had been explored.”

Their statement ended by calling on football authorities to detail the impact of playing behind closed doors on lower league clubs.

It said: “Peterhead Football Club urge the Scottish football authorities to make further representation to the Scottish Government in order to address the serious financial implications of playing behind closed doors for lower league clubs before we start seeing communities throughout the country being subjected to further devastation by their demise and ultimate disappearance altogether.”