"The effects of no football are more widespread than people think." Rotherham United's Richie Barker on the sport shutdown

ROTHERHAM United's Richie Barker has outlined the full impact the football drought is having beyond the boundaries of stadiums as the game faces up to several more weeks of shutdown.
Richie Barker on matchday duty with Paul Warne before the coronavirus crisis.Richie Barker on matchday duty with Paul Warne before the coronavirus crisis.
Richie Barker on matchday duty with Paul Warne before the coronavirus crisis.

The Football League has advised its clubs not to resume training until May 16 at the earliest and has formulated a plan to complete the 2019-20 season in 56 days once the Government gives the go-ahead.

Until then, thousands of fans up and down the country and the countless businesses and workers who depend upon a fully functioning local club for their income face an unformfortable wait until the COVID-19 crisis is overcome.

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Millers assistant manger Barker said: "These are difficult times for everyone, not just football. It is about people. Over the last week or two we have been inundated with requests to do vidoes and telephone calls for people who are ill or who have lost their job.

"Football being stopped has a knock-on for people who supply clubs, whether that be grass seed, paint, food or whatever. There are temporary matchday workers to consider as well. The loss of football has an amazing effect on the local economy. 

"Before a game, myself and Paul Warne often go for a run and then go into town to the coffee shop for breakfast and it is amazing how many away fans that football brings to the town and obviously that is not happening either.

"The effects of no football are more widespread than people think."

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Big miss...fans aren't the only ones who miss the promotion-chasing Millers (above)  being in regular action.

With many regular workers in the football industry having been laid off on Government- backed furlough to relieve the pressure on clubs, a cross-club sacrifice from players is still being worked out.

Although some clubs such as Doncaster Rovers and Sunderland have already furloughed playing staff, some sort of collective wages agreement to cover all players from the Premier League to League Two is seen as more desirable.

Talks were held between between the leagues and players' union the PFA yesterday to try and agree a deferral of salaries during the current crisis and Barker, for one, hopes a joint deal  can be worked out.

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"If there was decison enfored by the EFL on all clubs, it puts everyone on the same footing," he said.

"It means that whether it is for a month or two or more, if players and staff are recomended to take a 20 per cent wage deferral or cut for that particular month then no football club is any better or worse off and there is no favouritism and everyone is in the same boat.

"It would also stop players who might try to use the situation to their advantage, where they think they might try and get out of their contract and move somewhere else because that other club are paying full wages. 

"In this current climate you would hope that wouldn't happen anyway but the easiest way would be to just create a blanket cut or deferral for one month or two months to ensure that the 91 clubs that were still going when we entered this are still going when we come out of it."