Sheffield United players will defer part of their salaries to help the club cope with the closure enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.
The club announced that the squad had followed in the footsteps of the manager, Chris Wilder, and senior coaching staff, who on Monday accepted a 10% deferral of their wages for six months.
“This announcement follows positive and constructive discussions throughout the club, taking into account the severity of the situation that the country finds itself in at the moment,” said the United chief executive, Stephen Bettis. “I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with our first-team players, manager and backroom staff to help support the club.
“It is a difficult period for everyone, but our football club also needs to be taken care of and I’m delighted that the players want to mirror the gesture of Chris and the staff by contributing, it confirms that they care about Sheffield United. The players should be commended, not only for this action, but also for their role in the #playerstogether initiative with other Premier League clubs.”
United’s players are amongst the lowest-paid in the Premier League but the club indicated that deferrals would make it easier to navigate a way through a period during which revenue has fallen drastically. The club has not contested a match since the victory over Norwich on 7 March and no one knows when the league will resume.
Wilder said after the announcement of his pay deferral: “It is a difficult time for everyone. That includes football clubs and this particular measure is all about our football club. I’ve had similar experiences of cash-flow problems at other clubs and I’m delighted that my staff have supported me in assisting our club in a small way.”
United furloughed some permanent and casual staff a fortnight ago but are continuing to pay them in full without resorting to the government’s job retention scheme.
