League of Ireland Premier Division clubs to receive €215,000 minimum in Covid support

The equivalent starting point for First Division clubs is €50,000, while the overall prize money pot has increased

The FAI has addressed the thorny subject of prize money for League of Ireland clubs

The first day of spring delivered signs of optimism for League of Ireland clubs, with the FAI presenting a robust package to counter the financial ill-effects of Covid-19.

In a virtual presentation given by new FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill and league director Mark Scanlon, the 19 clubs were informed that the board-approved payouts were weighted 78% for Premier clubs and 22% to First Division outfits.

On the basis of a full 36-game Premier Division commencing on March 19, clubs will receive a minimum of €215,000 each, with an additional €135,000 on offer dependent on their individual business cases derived from the revenue streams generated in the last full season of 2019.

The equivalent starting point for the First Division clubs is €50,000.

In overall terms, the relief package – which is initially underwritten by the FAI themselves rather than the State – amounts to €3.6m.

That is more than double shelled out compared to last year for what transpired to be only a half season due to the suspension of fixtures and prolonged series of negotiations.

The association has also addressed the thorny subject of prize money.

Instead of the €423,000 on offer for 2020, a pot €600,000 is available this time.

The club finishing bottom of the top-flight is to receive €22,000, with €10,000 going to the team propping up the First Division.

Once again, annual fees for referees and affiliations (€250,000 each) are being waived, while youth and travel grants amounts to another €280,000.

The highline spend total of €5.935m is completed by the €950,000 of Uefa solidarity grants, the same figure as 2020.

Clubs were told that it will be at least June before any prospect of partial attendances returning to grounds is on the table but the “commercially unsuccessful” WatchLOI streaming service is not guaranteed to remain intact.

Claiming the “model cannot be rolled out across the whole season”, the FAI speakers said seven different options were currently being evaluated.