EFL clubs have discussed the possibility of earlier kick-off times in the winter to reduce energy bills amid the cost of living crisis, Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry has revealed.
Clubs playing beneath the riches of the Premier League are feeling the pinch financially with operating costs rising and that is only set to worsen over the winter months due to hikes in energy bills.
Matchdays are crucial revenue streams for clubs, but the associated costs are a significant expense for Bristol Rovers and their EFL rivals, footing the bill for stewarding and policing among other necessities and the idea of bringing kick-offs forward to 1pm in the winter, reducing the need for floodlights, has been mooted in meetings between clubs as they try to mitigate the impact of growing financial pressures.
"It’s been discussed," Fry told talkSPORT. "All sorts of things have been discussed because the cost of everything is going through the sky and it is very difficult for clubs at all levels to survive nowadays.
"We’ve got to look at every way of increasing the revenue and decreasing the outgoings. If we can’t afford to pay the electric and various other things, the police costs and steward costs and everything else, we’ve got to come up with something."
Serie A has capped floodlight usage at four hours to help amid Italy's energy crisis. The league is set to cut usage by 25 per cent and, according to The Sun, some EFL clubs could have a six-figure bill for running their floodlights this season.
Meanwhile, reforming the distribution of funds from the top flight to clubs lower down the pyramid is reportedly atop the agenda of a Premier League shareholders' meeting on Wednesday. A report from The Times says parachute payments for teams relegated to the Championship are set to be changed, with discussions also centring on scrapping FA Cup replays in the third and fourth round.
It has also been suggested that Premier League clubs competing in Europe may not take part in the League Cup, or they would field under-21 sides, in order to free up space in the fixture calendar.
The Premier League has been under pressure from the Government to strike a new deal that guarantees hundreds of millions of pounds more in funding for the lower leagues, with Tracey Crouch MP's fan-led review proposing an independent regulator to oversee the game. However, clubs reportedly "will wait to see" the approach of new Prime Minister Liz Truss before making final decisions.
Fry believes change is long overdue. He said: "The distribution of all the funds is a disgrace, really, and it has been talked about for years and years, getting more money down and throughout the pyramid.
"The best thing in English football is the pyramid system, but the Premier League sides are getting richer and richer and the rest of us are struggling to survive, with all this cost of living crisis as well that’s hitting clubs and individuals – players, staff, and everybody else – so I think we need to try to do something about that.
"Whether they will or they will just continue talking as they have done for the last 25 years, I don’t know."
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