Hereford FC are officially in hibernation for the duration of the coronavirus crisis after shutting down all operations and furloughing their final staff and players.
All activity at Edgar Street ceased on Sunday night with the National League North season on hold since last week and the Bulls in 15th spot with interim manager Josh Gowling at the helm as the successor to Russell Slade and his predecessor Marc Richards.
According to a statement on their website, everything from the online shop to official official Twitter account was closing down to comply with the government’s rules surrounding furloughing and add to other measures they’ve taken to protect the club’s financial future since the onset of the crisis.
“Some members of staff have already been placed on the government ‘job retention scheme’ and at the end of this past week, all players and management staff also agreed to a 20 percent wage-cut, and will now also be placed on the government ‘furlough’ scheme,” said Graham.
“In a bid to help ensure that the club manages to get through this period of uncertainty, as of Monday (today), the remaining staff will also be placed on the government scheme. Therefore the club will move into a ‘hibernation’ period.
“As a result, we will no longer be processing online club shop orders on a regular basis, any orders placed during the period that staff are on ‘furlough’ will be processed as soon as possible. Social media and updates to the official website will also pause for the time being.”
He added: “I’d like to thank supporters for their understanding during this difficult time, and also thank the staff and players for their understanding and support during what is a difficult time for them also.”
The National League, originally suspended until 3 April, opted to extend the 2019/20 season “indefinitely” last Tuesday.
The next move for the top two tiers of Non-League is complicated by the competition’s links to the professional game through promotion and relegation from the English Football League.
National League Statement | Competition Suspended Indefinitely
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— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL) March 31, 2020
Both the EFL and Premier League finally followed suit and suspended their seasons on Friday. The rest of Non-League football at Steps 3 to 7 was terminated with immediate effect by the Football Association nearly two weeks ago.
The decision which has sparked huge controversy and prompted a mass petition to the FA by clubs after the season was declared null and void with no promotion or relegation.
As it stands, the Premier League, EFL, National League, National League North and South and Women’s Super League still aim to complete the 2019/20 season.
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper from this weekend for great features and all the latest news in one place on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on society and football.
In shops on Sundays and Mondays, The NLP is always available as a pound-busting digital edition and full replica of the printed paper from midnight on Saturdays. Save cash on single issues, even more on longer deals and the pages still rustle too!
Image courtesy of Steve Niblett/The Non-League Paper
