Darlington FC statement re the Winter Survival Package meeting with the National League on Wednesday 20^th January 2021.

Darlington FC would like to make the following statement about the meeting with National League officials and clubs from the North and South Divisions which chief executive officer David Johnston attended on Zoom today (Wednesday 20^th January).

The clubs discussed the Winter Survival Package and financial funding for the rest of the season and referred to previous talks between the National League, the FA and the DCMS.

The National League clubs believed that the financial funding for the whole season would be in the form of a grant and started the season on that basis; in contrast the DCMS maintain that future funding from January onwards will be via loans.

The clubs were asked to discuss three different options:

1. Loans direct from the DCMS, which would be repayable over a certain period of time at a low interest rate.
2. The National League would take on the loan from the DCMS, and then give out grants to clubs, which would in turn be repayable over a certain period of time with a low interest rate.

3. Suspend the rest of the National League season.

The Darlington FC view of these options is as follows:

1. The board of directors of Darlington Football Club is not going to risk the financial future of the club by taking out a loan.
2. The same answer, as Option 1, applies for Option 2.
3. We would like to continue the season if the Winter Survival Package and future funding is in the form of a Grant and a Covid testing regime of staff is started together with, promotion to and relegation from the National League to the North and South divisions being maintained. In the absence of these 3 items, then we would propose suspending the season.

David Johnston will be sending an e mail to the league with our decision (as requested by the league) in the next few hours.