Why Barnsley, Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Harrogate Town, Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday are being told to step up Covid-19 testing

The League is expected to pay to test its players and off-field staff twice a week, having only only previously insisted on lower-league players being tested a couple of times since the summer, and making the clubs pay for it.

Whereas the Premier League has been testing its players on a weekly basis all season, the Football League has taken a far more light-touch approach.

Players were required to be tested before returning for pre-season, and ahead of the first matches of 2020-21.

Although clubs were told to test anyone displaying symptoms, and Championship clubs were required to hold a round of tests after the October and November international breaks – something individuals from League One and Two were also required to do after any extended period away – this week was the next league-wide mandatory round of tests.

Many have gone beyond the minimum requirements at their own expense.

One important reason for the disparity was that whilst the Premier League paid for its mandatory tests, for the 72 clubs below – including Barnsley, Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Harrogate Town, Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday – the burden fell on them.

The cost of a round of tests for all the necessary staff and players is estimated at around £4,000, a big burden on clubs whose income has been ravaged by the pandemic.

Bradford, Doncaster, Hull, Middlesbrough and Rotherham have all had matches postponed over the Christmas period because of the virus.

The expectation is that the increased testing will be paid from central funds but it has been reported that hoped-for support from the players’ union, the Professional Footballers’ Association, is yet to materialise.

Hull caused controversy in September by declining West Ham United’s offer to pay for testing before their League Cup tie, a gesture many Premier League sides offered to lower-league opponents, with varying responses.

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