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An independent relief fund has been set up to provide financial support to the players and workers affected by the sudden collapse of the Jersey Reds rugby team.
The initial aim of the fund is to cover the staff's September salaries, with any funds in excess of this being split equally between those affected.
Players and the public were told yesterday morning that the club had ceased trading in an announcement that sent ripples across the national sporting community.
Despite an emergency funding injection of £370,000 from Government, Chair Mark Morgan said that investor and RFU struggles had left the team unable to pay September salaries and that liquidation "appears inevitable".
Jersey Reds players took to social media to share the harsh reality of the situation, with centre Dan Barnes saying that he had woken up this morning to his "landlord turning up, no rent paid and facing eviction immediately, no pay cheque, no money... bills taken out... no job... friends for life in pieces".
An independent fund has now been launched by the Reds following "numerous offers of help from supporters wanting to know what they could do to help".
We are pleased to now be able to share details of an independent relief fund that has been set up.
— Jersey Reds (@JerseyRedsRugby) September 29, 2023
Please click on the link below for further information https://t.co/HW3Yr5kPEd pic.twitter.com/q6EM1Drqt2
The fund will utilise an independent account, overseen by co-signatories Harvey Biljon (Director of Rugby) and Nicola Dando (Welfare Manager).
The initial aim is to cover the September salaries, with any funds in excess of this being split equally between those affected.
Harvey Biljon said: “There has been an incredible reaction from people in Jersey and further afield, showing how much Jersey Reds meant to so many people, and we have been really heartened to see this.
“We hope that this fund will provide a channel for these offers – there are players and coaches who have been left in a dire financial position, unable to meet accommodation expenses or finance travel away from the island, so the money raised will make a real difference.”
Pictured: Director of Rugby, Harvey Biljon, said that some players face being "stranded" in Jersey "because they can’t afford air fares to leave the island".
The Rugby Players Association (RPA), which represents hundreds of players nationally, has also leant its support to the team.
"Following the incredibly sad news regarding Jersey Reds yesterday members of RPA staff and the RFU legal team met with senior representatives of the playing squad," Christian Day, RPA General Secretary explained.
He continued: "This is again a failing of the current rugby eco-system and why we are pushing so hard for changes to be made to the governance of the professional game. Players and staff have been left with their lives turned upside down overnight. Players and staff that have invested their lives into their club and community.
"These are talented people trying to forge their way in life, dependent on the club to pay the wages that they have earned and deserve. It is unacceptable that this has again happened with no prior notice to players.
"Players should be valued as partners in the game that they love and invest so much of their lives into. There must be a better support system in place for all elite players which must be rectified as a key part of any new funding agreement.
"Currently the RPA does not fully represent Championship Players. The RPA has put forward a model of player support where all elite players can be represented and where their voices can be heard and listened to as part of the new Professional Game Partnership."
Name: HB10 Limited (Staff welfare)
Sort Code: 16-51-71
Account Number: 20086850
As a "show of support for the players and staff who have lost their jobs overnight", Dominic Boletta, who has been supporting the Jersey Reds for the last 20 years, has organised a peaceful show of support at the club's St Peter turf this evening.
The rally will be held on Friday 29 September at 17:30 in the rugby club car park.
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