Stoke City chairman Peter Coates has committed to paying the club’s staff in full until the end of August, making a financial commitment during testing times across the globe.
The outbreak of Covid-19 has brought the world to a standstill, with football clubs suffering in the EFL as fixtures have been postponed indefinitely.
Yesterday we saw Sunderland place first-team players on furlough leave, with a League One giant having to lean on the government’s job retention scheme during this global pandemic.
Yet, that’s not been the approach of Stoke City in the Championship, with chairman Coates taking to the Telegraph to update supporters on the route his club will be taking during this time.
There, he confirmed that all staff would be paid in full until the end of August, when he hopes some normality has been restored and there might even be some football played.
A short snippet of the statement read: “Last month we made a commitment that everybody at Stoke City and bet365 would be paid in full until the end of August, including match-day staff for the games postponed.
“We just felt it was the right thing to do: in any business, whether it is football or your own business, all your staff are critical whether they are at the top end or the lesser end. They are all important and play their part. We have always believed that everybody should be treated the same.”
Sitting 17th in the table, Stoke are not yet free of the relegation dogfight in the Championship, with Michael O’Neill’s men three points ahead of Charlton Athletic, who occupy the final relegation spot.
QUIZ: Can you name every Stoke City front-of-shirt sponsor from the last 15 seasons?
The Verdict
This is some response from Stoke City to the global pandemic, with Coates put in good light when other football club owners are being widely criticised for their approach.
Stoke are making a commitment to their staff until a period when there is expected to be football being played, so they’ve really made an effort to look after those who work for them.
You’d hope that this encourages those at the top of the EFL pyramid to follow suit.
Thoughts? Let us know!