Live coverage gives Scarborough Athletic a platform in fight for survival

Although the broadcast fee for their August 9 Conference North game at Kidderminster Harriers will have little direct impact on their financial problems, it will give them a chance to bring their fundraising attempts to a wider audience, and to give some publicity to sponsors who have stood by them through it.

The 18-year-old phoenix club's entire future was thrown into doubt in the spring when it was revealed that around £3m of work on their council-owned home would need to be carried out, with no start date for it.

Problems with the drainage systems beneath their synthetic pitch, which was no longer deemed fit for purpose required far more extensive work than was first thought.

And although North Yorkshire Council will meet the cost, it still rendered the Seadogs homeless for 2025-26 and possibly beyond.

Fortunately for them Northern Premier League Bridlington Town – landlords for the first decade of their existence – have agreed to let them play at Queensgate, 17 miles away, rent-free, with various funding bodies helping them upgrade the ground to Conference North standards.

But it still leaves a fan-owned club that makes most of its money on matchday with a huge hole in their bank account.

Fans have rallied, many pledging £20 a month through the club's No Battle, No Victory fighting fund, as have sponsors, but there is still a significant amount of money which needs to be raised if Scarborough are to see the season out.

Streaming service DAZN broadcasts National League games in the Conference Premier, North and South, and will take advantage of the lifting of the Saturday 3pm blackout to allow Sky to show the opening round of Championship matches to screen the game at Aggborough without having to move the kick-off time.

Scarborough will hope the coverage gives them the opportunity to advertise their plight and the need for funds to a wider footballing audience.