Sunderland have announced that they have put their players on furlough leave during the coronavirus pandemic.
As well as first team players, backroom staff and academy players have also been furloughed, with just a small number of staff, including manager Phil Parkinson, continuing to work from home.
While on furlough, the government's job retention scheme sees employees who are on furlough receive 80 per cent of their pay up to £2,500 per month. Sunderland's statement said: "At this moment in time, SAFC has no intention to ask any players or staff to take a wage reduction or deferral on their salary, and the club remains fully committed to ensuring all employees are paid in full."
Many of the club's non-playing staff were furloughed weeks ago, with the club paying the extra 20 per cent to ensure their staff earned their full pay.
Sunderland's statement read: "Sunderland AFC can today confirm that its first-team players, contracted academy players and backroom staff have recently been placed on furlough leave due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Last week, the FA, the Premier League and the EFL announced they would be collectively postponing their competitions until such time that it is safe for them to resume.
"At this moment in time, SAFC has no intention to ask any players or staff to take a wage reduction or deferral on their salary, and the club remains fully committed to ensuring all employees are paid in full.
"A small number of staff, including manager Phil Parkinson, continue to work from home, and the club’s priority remains the health and wellbeing of its players, staff, supporters and local community during this unprecedented period."
The news comes just hours after Liverpool reversed their decision to furlough non-playing staff amid outcry from their supporters.
The finances of clubs in League One are, of course, far different, with Sunderland not the first to make similar decisions. Coventry City and Doncaster Rovers last week put their players on furlough.
However, Sunderland's decision also comes just days after Charlie Methven gave a positive update about the club's finances, describing them as 'I would say - in the strongest financial position of any club in the EFL.'
He told Sunderland Live: "It’s doubly satisfying that during this crisis the club has put many of its staff on furlough leave, but are in a strong enough position to be able to top up the government’s pay to make sure that all of our employees are paid in full. That’s not something that’s happening at many EFL clubs. The staff deserve that for all their hard work during those difficult early months.
“The reason the club is in a position to be able to do that is because it is - I would say - in the strongest financial position of any club in the EFL.
“It’s debt-free, it has a break even business model, it’s spending around 45% of its turnover on player wages, and because of the recent investment has sufficient cash.
“So unlike a lot of other clubs who have been going through a more expansionary period, shall we say, with a lot more of their turnover being paid on player wages, Sunderland is now in a solid position to trade its way through these difficult times and come out the other end in one piece.
“Of course, we have to keep a close eye on developments, but as things stand Sunderland is in a position where it’s able to plan for the future, and by that I mean squad planning, future marketing plans etc. because it doesn’t have to spend all day desperately wondering how to pay the bills.”
