Yorkshire CCC players could be placed on furlough during coronavirus crisis

The club has already furloughed around two-thirds of its non-playing staff under the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Now they are looking at following the same path with their 30 full-time professional cricketers in a move that could save £60,000-£70,000 a month at a time when income has dried up.

All first-class counties are exploring the option in discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and Yorkshire have also asked the ECB for six months of their annual £3.5m from the governing body’s central distribution pot to be forwarded in advance to help with cash flow.

Mark Arthur, the Yorkshire chief executive, said: “From our point of view it would make logical sense if the players were also furloughed at this time.

“It’s being discussed at the moment by all the counties, in fact, with the ECB and the PCA, and we’re hoping to operate as a collective ideally.

“We’ve been given an opportunity by the government to furlough staff, and we’ve already taken that opportunity at Yorkshire with many of our non-playing staff.

“We’d have had to trim the workforce otherwise, and this is a move designed to protect jobs.”

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme allows businesses to claim a grant of up to 80 per cent on an employee’s salary up to a cap of £2,500 per month.

It lasts for an initial three months backdated to March 1, but could yet be extended, and Yorkshire are funding any difference for those staff already furloughed, which includes most employees apart from senior officials, management, some groundstaff and, at present, the players.

Should the players also be furloughed, the club could not insist on them continuing to train as they are at present on an individual basis at home.

Furloughed staff are not allowed to work for their employer throughout their leave of absence.

“Training would be up to each individual,” Arthur confirmed. “We couldn’t force them if they were furloughed.

“But we’d expect individuals to keep themselves fit for purpose because, when we do get the all-clear, I reckon that the season will start very quickly, and therefore Galey (head coach Andrew Gale) is only going to pick those players who are fit for purpose.

“I’m sure the lads will look after themselves in a professional manner and be in the best possible shape to compete for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, whenever the season eventually starts.”

Arthur is confident that Yorkshire will weather the prevailing storm – “it will be tough, but we will do it,” he declared. He added that other county chief executives have contacted him regarding the furloughing process.

“Quite a number of my fellow chief executives have contacted me to ask how we went through the process, and we’ve shared the letter with them so that they can use their own version and it gives them a template, as it were, because obviously this is brand new to everybody and there’s no precedent for it,” said Arthur.

“All of our department heads spoke to each member of their team individually, and it was well received, because it’s not just the here and now but it’s the long-term impact it’s going to have on Yorkshire County Cricket Club and its ability to operate at the same levels.

“The main thing is to try and protect jobs during what is obviously a difficult financial period,” he added.

“We’re viewing this as a positive step, as it would be, also, if we did it with our players.”

Yorkshire’s request to ECB to have half of their £3.5m annual payment forwarded in advance is seen as another positive move.

Arthur explained: “We’re basically asking for some of the money earlier to keep cash in the business, as normally we’d be selling memberships, tickets and sponsorship at this time, putting on events, but we can’t do any of that at the moment.

“Combined with the furloughing that we’ve already announced, it would certainly be another big help.

“At the moment, we don’t know how long the coronavirus situation is going to last for, or what the fixture list will look like.

“In a few months’ time, when we hopefully know what the impact’s going to be on our business, then we’ll be able to understand what the actual shortfall will be.”