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Tranmere Rovers soccer club sees light at end of tunnel in COVID-19 pandemic
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Mark Palios (JP/Dicky Christanto)
T
he chairman and co-owner of English third-tier soccer club Tranmere Rovers, Mark Palios, assured fans that the club was seeing light at the end of the tunnel as the COVID-19 pandemic moves across the world.
He praised the commitment and assistance offered by both the local government and the club’s new investor, Indonesia-based Santini Group, that would not only pave the way for the club to stay afloat but also enable it to make great plans for the future.
“We have committed to paying in full all contracted employees for March and April. Thank our partners, the Santini Group, who, despite the impact of the coronavirus, have continued to provide the further support to ensure certain key projects take place and also have helped to fill the immediate cash hole,” Palios said according to a statement on the club’s website on Wednesday.
The club, he said, had also been involved in numerous efforts tailored to provide assistance for those who are currently battling the virus. He said the club was working with HelpLink and local authorities and had established a program to ensure vulnerable people could be supported by daily phone calls and assistance with deliveries of food and prescriptions.
“At present we are supporting around 1,000 people. We are also working closely with Wirral Borough Council, our partner, to support its humanitarian efforts wherever possible,” he added.
The club’s education team, he went on, had been providing lessons for students through virtual classrooms.
He said that, in order to ensure the safety of the staff, the club management had also decided to close many areas like the function rooms, the academy, retail stores and ticket office. Some vital staff continued to work from home.
Tranmere Rovers joined forces with the Santini Group last year and has been planning to organize various programs aimed at boosting local talent and promoting the club's soccer academy. In an interview with the Post last year, Palios said that exposing Indonesian talent to world-soccer experiences would be an effective way to acquire the skills and mindsets of professional soccer players.
