Welsh Government thought there was “little need for additional funding support” to exiled clubs like Wrexham AFC due to UK Gov pot of money

A Freedom of Information request has revealed the thinking behind Welsh Government’s allocation of football support funding, and why Wrexham AFC was caught in a no-mans land between UK and Welsh Governments.

As we have previously reported Wrexham Football Club was the only club out of 66 other league members not eligible for an avenue of UK Government pandemic support due to playing in Wales.

In late January the Welsh Government announced a £17.7m grant based fund to support spectator sports in Wales, with football allocated £1.5m of the total pot, however Wrexham was also not included in that tranche.

A FOI has detailed the fact finding basis for the Welsh Government’s decision not to allocate cash to the club, backing up a previous statement from the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Dafydd Elis-Thomas who effectively said Welsh Government were unaware the club would not be entitled to support through Sport England via the UK Government’s Sports Winter Survival Package until after its own funding support was announced.

The assessment concluded “there is little need for additional funding support” as it was assumed UK Government funding could be accessed.

The FOI notes in an undated ‘Assessment of Need’:

There are five ‘exile’ clubs that play under the English football system. These include EFL Championship sides Cardiff FC and Swansea AFC. Newport County play in EFL League Two, and both Wrexham AFC (Vanarama National League – tier five) and Merthyr Tydfil FC also play in the English system.

Football returned at professional level in April 2020 with EFL Championship cross-border competition (Cardiff City and Swansea City). In addition to those two clubs, Newport County and Wrexham have also returned to play in the 2020-21 season, as well as Cardiff City Ladies in England. Merthyr Town AFC, who play in the English Southern League Premier Division South, have been mothballed for the 2020-21 season to avoid bankruptcy. They will be allowed back into the league next season.

In October, the UK Government announced that National League football clubs would receive £10m funding as part of a unique partnership with The National Lottery. The support will benefit the 66 clubs in the fifth and six tiers of English football, so that they can continue to play behind closed doors after the return of fans was paused due to rising infection rates. Wrexham AFC, as a club in the Vanarama National League (tier five) has received £95k per month. The money for the initiative is coming from a National Lottery promotional fund. It is not being funded by money allocated for National Lottery Good Causes or by Camelot.

The £10m announcement above triggered a £750k funding award via The National Lottery directly to the FAW and has been distributed to clubs at levels one and two in the Welsh pyramid. The £750k Camelot money will be distributed as follows: Cymru Premier League (CPL) Clubs (12 x £50k = £600k); JD Cymru North Clubs (16 x £5k = £80k); and JD Cymru South Clubs (16 x £5k = £80k).

Based on the fact that Welsh clubs in the English pyramids have received funding through other avenues – which means they are treated consistently as their counterparts and competitors – there is little need for additional funding support from the Welsh Government to the exiled clubs at this stage

Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton said on the 2nd of February, “Following meetings with Ministers I can confirm that there is a separate £17.7m fund available for Welsh Sport, from the Welsh Government . Crucially, this funding stream is in the form of grants, rather than loans. I have been in contact with Wrexham AFC and am backing them in accessing as much of this funding as possible.”

Wrexham’s Lesley Griffiths MS said on the 22nd of February : “As I have stated from the beginning, I believe Wrexham AFC should be treated like every other club in the National League and I am determined to ensure the club doesn’t slip through the cracks.

“It was quite clear when announcing the support, the UK Government stated all 66 clubs would benefit. The apparent implication was that this funding would support National League clubs and the fact Wrexham AFC is based in Wales did not appear to be an overriding factor.

“While it has been widely reported the recent takeover has improved the club’s financial outlook considerably, it is the principle of that matter that is important. Wrexham AFC is just as deserving of the financial support as any other National League club and shouldn’t miss out due to its geographical location.

“After writing to the Welsh Government on the matter, I am grateful officials are actively engaging with the club and looking to find solutions. I also contacted Sport England and made urgent representations to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden MP, at the beginning of this month. I am yet to receive Mr Dowden’s response but as soon as I receive further information, I will share it with the club and constituents.”

Ryan Reynold’s friend Rob Elhenney, and co-owner of the club, has previously commented on the matter saying “We don’t need their money.”