"It is not sensationalist to suggest that without Government financial support, sport will take a generation to get back on its feet, leaving an enormous void at the heart of communities throughout the land."Sport and clubs have played an inestimable but often undervalued role in the development of our young and the health of the general population.

"I would call on Government, who have done such a magnificent job in shepherding the country from the worst excesses of this pandemic over the past months, to fully recognise sport's contribution and role as a core strand in the fabric of our society, and in turn provide the significant financial support all sports will need in the difficult transition from dormant isolation, to vibrancy, across their communities."