'Brutal' - Mel Morris reveals true coronavirus impact on Derby County
Football has been halted by the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no guarantee when the season will resume
Steve Nicholson
Chairman Mel Morris has been talking about the "devastating" impact the coronavirus crisis has had financially on Derby County and football in general.
Football has been halted by the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no guarantee when the season will resume.
Derby's last match was the home victory over Blackburn Rovers on March 8.
In an interview on the Rams website, Morris was asked if Derby supporters would have a club after all of this.
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"In 1884, there was a Derby County and I guarantee in 100 years from now there will still be a Derby County," said Morris.
"This is a devastating time for our club, but also for lots of others, but overall no matter what the challenges are I honestly believe the top flight clubs will definitely survive this and come out the other side of it, but it will be challenging.
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"If you look at the way the football pyramid operates, if you look at the Premier League many of the clubs there their gate receipts are maybe 10% to 15% of their revenues.
"So for them, as long as they continue to get their media incomes they are in a reasonably good state even playing without supporters in the stadium.
"In the Championship, those numbers are far more brutal.
"In the Championship, many clubs are operating where the actual gate receipts represent anywhere between 40% to 80% of the revenues for the club. And that is devastating when those things are impacted.
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"Go to League One and League Two, and the numbers get even more severe.
"As you go down the pyramid the challenges get tougher and tougher.
"But to answer the question, I think there will be a Derby County even 500 or 600 years from now."
Mel Morris