Ice hockey and rugby set to get a share of £300m support package for sports hit by Covid restrictions on spectators
Sports impacted economically by restrictions on spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic could benefit from £300m of support.
The government's ‘Sport Winter Survival Package’ will inject cash into sports events including greyhound racing, ice hockey, motorsport and rugby to help mitigate the huge economic impact of the pandemic.
However the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the funding would “largely be composed of loans”.
A total of 11 sports will benefit from the support - rugby union, horse racing, football, rugby league, motorsport, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing - with rugby union set to gain the most.
Preliminary allocations have already been made on a "needs based assessment process and reflect the submissions made from the individual sports", DCMS said.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "We promised to stand by sports when we had to postpone fans returning.
"We are doing just that by delivering another £300 million on top of existing business support schemes. "Britain is a sports powerhouse, and this government will do everything we can to help our precious sports and clubs make it through Covid."
Which sports get what cash?
Rugby Union's £135m is to be split between the governing body the Rugby Football Union and then clubs at Premiership level, Championship level and below.
Horse racing racecourses will receive £40m.
Football will get £28 million, divided between clubs from the National League down to step six of the men’s pyramid. The Women’s Super League and Championship will also get a chunk of the cash.
Rugby League will get £12 million delivered as a top-up to the existing government loan scheme announced in May 2020, to reflect updated circumstances.
Motorsport will get £6 million to support operators of major circuits, including Silverstone, Goodwood, The British Automobile Racing Club, MotorSport Vision.
Lawn Tennis Association will get £5 million.
Netball will get £4 million, £2 million each for England Netball and Super League Netball.
Basketball England will receive £1 million and British Basketball League clubs (including Women’s British Basketball League clubs) will get £3 million.
Ice Hockey's Elite League will get £4 million.
Badminton England gets £2 million .
Greyhound racing gets £1 million to support the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
The Government says each sport will need to go through an application process to access the support.
The final amount received by each sport may differ from the amounts set out above when decisions are made by an independent decision-making board.
The support only applies in England, however the government says devolved administrations have been provided with £16 billion above their Spring Budget funding to support their response to Covid-19.
"It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to use this funding irrespective of how UK government provides support in England," the DCMS added.