Julian Rhodes on Bradford City's 'fight for survival'

Like virtually all EFL clubs, City are feeling the financial pinch of football's shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic and Rhodes admits that the League Two outfit are in the midst of a 'fight for survival.'

Bantams manager Stuart McCall has resigned himself to the club's current season being officially declared as being over shortly and thoughts are turning towards a greater and more important battle - namely remaining in existence and keeping trading amid unprecedented times for the national sport.

A sum of £1million remaining from a sell-on clause following Oli McBurnie's move to Sheffield United last summer will go towards paying costs, while the ongoing financial support of owner Stefan Rupp is also likely to called upon - but Rhodes has warned that it cannot be 'an open-ended blank cheque.'

With football bracing itself for the majority of next season being staged being closed doors, revenue streams are likely to be decimated for lower-division clubs, with supporters paying for ifollow season tickets to watch games online being one avenue of income.

But it is unlikely to be a significant one with the clubs like Bradford - who last week suspended 2020-21 season ticket sales because of the uncertainty surrounding football -looking at other ways for supporters to enable the club to meet ongoing costs amid the game's greatest financial crisis.

In a message to fans on the club's website, Rhodes wrote: "Luckily, we had a great cash boost last summer when Oliver McBurnie was sold to Sheffield United from Swansea City and our sell-on clause kicked in. This gave us a fighting chance to achieve our goal (promotion).

"Unfortunately, since that time, the world has changed and football has ceased trading. The vast majority of clubs are in a fight for survival and we are no different.

"Stefan has said he will provide further cash, if needed, as he naturally does not want the club to fail. However, this cannot be an open-ended, blank cheque. Everyone has a part to play.

"At the club, we have used the government’s Job Retention Scheme and furloughed the vast majority of employees. Those who have not been furloughed are working extremely hard to keep the club in business.

"We have agreed a deferral of PAYE payments to HMRC and tried to reduce outgoing payments as much as possible, while our income is as low as it currently is.

"Last week’s decision to suspend season-ticket sales was one which had to be made, given the current circumstances. It has, however, naturally created an even bigger cashflow problem.

"Many supporters have subsequently made contact to say they would have bought a season ticket despite the current uncertainty, in an effort to help the club through this challenging period.

"Although this is no longer possible, we understand and appreciate the desire and willingness of supporters who want to contribute financially to help us through. We have never doubted our supporters’ loyalty and it was heartening to witness such a response to what was an extremely tough move to make.

"We are looking at ways in which you can show your support in the weeks and months ahead. It may be possible, for example, to sell 2020/21 iFollow season tickets if the EFL announce next season is going ahead, with the majority of it likely to be played behind closed doors.

"While we all hope special moments may happen again in the future, I think we all know, in order for them to become a reality, we need to navigate our way through a very difficult short to medium term to keep the club in business.

"If and when we are in a position to put something on sale, please support any initiative, if possible, although I do understand that financially things are very difficult for many people at the moment.

"If we all play our part then, hopefully, we can pull through."