Leicester Tigers are asking for the #TigersFamily to assist the Premiership Rugby clubs’ appeal for Government assistance in the face of up to a year without matchday or stadium incomes.
The Government has suspended plans for further ‘pilot fixtures’ when a limited crowd is admitted to events in various sports and have said the situation might not change for another six months.
Premiership Rugby and its clubs are applying to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport for assistance while doors remain closed and with a new season’s kick-off now less than two months away.
Tigers urge fans to show their support by writing to their Parliamentary representatives to appeal for assistance while reflecting on the value of the club’s work in the wider community which is also at risk due to the shortfall in revenues in the seven months since a game was last played in front of a crowd at Welford Road.
They may be rivals on the field, but the other Premiership clubs are also our colleagues and assistance is required for the professional game to move forward through this pandemic and beyond.
A show of strength of support from the #TigersFamily will play an essential part in highlighting the work of the club and of its Premiership Rugby partners for the good of our communities as a whole.
If you are asking how you can help while you are unable to attend matches, we encourage you to contact your Member of Parliament, outlining what your club and Premiership Rugby means to you, in terms of matchdays and also work in the community overall.
You can say it in your own words, of course, but you can take some or all of our draft below:
Dear Sir/Madam
As a Leicester Tigers supporter, I urge the Government to reach out and assist the Gallagher Premiership clubs whose stadiums have been closed to supporters for the last six months.
The game of rugby thrives on its inclusivity and is built on its people and its community focus – all those who give their time to the grassroots game, who introduce youngsters to its basic skills and fundamental principles of respect and fair play, and also the tens of thousands of fans who follow their teams so passionately.
A professional rugby club is about much more than 80 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, but that is the focalpoint from which everything else grows.
Leicester Tigers plays a central part in the sport, entertainment and economy not only in our city and county but also in the broader area of the East Midlands and Norfolk. The club has a name known throughout sport but also works in promoting health and wellbeing, education and physical activity alongside encouraging participation in disabled, special needs and youth inclusion programmes, and with those who would not normally have the opportunities.
To continue that work and to provide confidence that a club with 140 years of history can survive and thrive in future after six months without matchday or stadium income – and the prospect of another six months to come – now is the time for the Government to show its own support.
The clubs need us – and you – now more than ever.
Yours sincerely,
Contact details for Leicestershire & Rutland MPs:
Alberto Costa – South Leicestershire | [email protected]
Andrew Bridgen - North West Leicestershire | [email protected]
Claudia Webbe – Leicester East | [email protected]
Jonathan Ashworth – Leicester South | [email protected]
Liz Kendall – Leicester West | [email protected]
Alicia Kearns – Rutland and Melton | [email protected]
Edward Argar – Charnwood | [email protected]
Jane Hunt – Loughborough | [email protected]
Dr Luke Evans – Bosworth | [email protected]
Neil O’Brien – Harborough | [email protected]
Contact details for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:
Oliver Dowden - Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | [email protected]
Nigel Huddleston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) | [email protected]
If you live outside the region, here is the link to find details of your own parliamentary member:https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons
