A Football League chairman has called for a "levelling up" of the football pyramid - to end "disparity" between the Premier League and the lower divisions.
Forest Green Rovers' Dale Vince, who is also a green energy industrialist, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson's pledge to "level up" the regions of the 海角视频 could also be applied to the country's football pyramid, with plenty of clubs suffering in the wake of the coronavirus.
The pandemic has caused a cash crisis for clubs across the 海角视频, particularly in the lower league - with fans unable to enter stadiums, sending revenues plummeting.
Speaking at the virtual Good Business Festival event on Thursday, the Gloucestershire-based club's chief Mr Vince said: "Not having fans at games makes a big difference.
"On the cash side, it impacts different clubs differently. 20% of income of Forest Green in a year comes from gates. That's less than most clubs - it can be 40% to 50% typically in our league. So we are looking at a smaller hole in our revenue than some clubs are - but it is a hole nonetheless."
At the discussion entitled Raising The Game, chaired by sports presenter Gabby Logan, the League Two chairman, who is also owner of electricity company Ecotricity, added: "Generally, there is a disparity from the top end of football all the way down the pyramid maybe there's a case for something Boris Johnson would call 'levelling up'. Maybe we need that in the football pyramid in terms of funding."
The Good Business Festival was commissioned by Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, with Act 1 taking place virtually on Thursday. It's aimed at uniting the global community of businesses and conscious consumers to help deliver positive, meaningful change in society. Act 2 is set to be a physical event taking place in Liverpool in March.
Also on the panel at the event were leadership consultant and ex-athlete Michelle Moore, vice president of Mastercard Alison Giordano and director of strategy and business development at Formula 1, Yath Gangakumaran.
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Ms Logan asked Ms Giordano if sport "needed a reset" to make it more sustainable - and whether the "trickle down effect" of sponsorship money paid to top clubs by firms like Mastercard and intended to help lower league clubs, was actually working.
Ms Giordano responded: "From a sponsorship side, it is super challenging. From a Mastercard side, we focus on both grassroots and the pro game. Through our relationships [with governing bodies] we have been able to align our values.
"It's incumbent on governing bodies, brands, media, and clubs to really prioritize and ensure they are listening and prioritising on equality from the top, and that there's energy within the organisation to drive those things forward. It's an every day effort that needs to happen."