Harlequins cut wages by 25% in response to COVID-19 postponements
Premiership side Harlequins have announced that they have asked all players, staff and coaches to agree to a 25% wage cut in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
With the Premiership rugby season postponed, the club announced they have come to the decision as a result of the disruption caused to their regular income streams.
With no match-day revenue coming in, clubs all across the UK are feeling the strain of covering their expenses.
Earlier on Monday, Championship side Coventry warned that their future is now at serious risk as they face a significant six figure loss of income.
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And now Harlequins have confirmed that they will need to cut wages in order to ensure the financial viability of the club, with a statement from CEO Laurie Dalrymple noting that “unprecedented times call for challenging decisions.”
“The past few days have been turbulent, unnerving and challenging for us all,” the statement read.
“Rugby has for the moment rightly paused, but in times like these, the most important thing is staying healthy and safe with the welfare of families and communities of paramount importance.
🃏 "The past few days have been turbulent, unnerving and challenging for us all."
📲 An update from CEO Laurie Dalrymple: https://t.co/H3NbsmLSLM#COYQ pic.twitter.com/P3S77CCD3s
— Harlequins 🃏 (@Harlequins) March 23, 2020
“What is to come over the next few weeks and months across the globe is uncharted territory, but we must prepare for every eventuality. As it stands, both The Stoop and our training ground at Surrey Sports Park are shut to protect the health and welfare of our staff. We are not able to play rugby and most of our regular income streams have been disrupted following the postponement or cancellation of all of our rugby and non-rugby events.
“We need to ensure that we take action now to ensure the security of our staff and the financial viability of the Club. These are incredibly tough decisions in unprecedented times.
“Today, we have made the difficult decision to ask all our staff, players and coaches to support the Club through a 25% reduction of salary. We will look after our lowest earners and those facing financial difficulty.
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“This move hasn’t been taken lightly, but in order to protect jobs, the future of Harlequins and the excellent and committed people that resides within. Even with this important contribution, we will need all of our stakeholders to come together to help secure the Club’s future.
“In the coming days the focus of our Club will switch to supporting our local communities, doing our best to support those who need our help. Our social networks will be used to share health, fitness and welfare advice to help everyone through this difficult period – last week saw The Harlequins Foundation team launch free keep fit videos for example.
“We have an incredibly committed, dedicated and passionate workforce that prides itself on being Harlequins – giving their absolute all on and off the field to our Club. On behalf of our owners and the board, I want to take this moment to thank everyone at our Club for their incredible passion, support and sacrifice – from our players to our coaches, our maintenance staff, our community coaches our Foundation – everyone employed at Harlequins plays their part and has displayed so much humility in how they’ve embraced this difficult process. Likewise, to all our loyal and passionate supporters, we thank you more than ever for your backing at this time. A club is at its best when it comes together and acts as a community. Over the coming weeks and months, we will need to call upon everyone to get behind the Club to ensure its survival and enable it to flourish again.”
Watch: Big Jim Hamilton’s hilarious response to riddle
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments