Statement from The Football Conference:

With no games played this weekend, for any the 68 member clubs of the Football Conference who make up the Blue Square Premier, North and South Divisions, some of them are feeling the pinch from a cashflow perspective as the weather forecast looks bleak for many of them going forward to next week, let alone looking back over already postponed league, FA Cup and FA Trophy fixtures.

The Board of the Football Conference has therefore released earlier than anticpated monies from central funding which it is hoped will assist, albeit nothing compensates a clubs finances than being able to stage home matches and the income they generate.

Chairman Brian Lee said "It might be a small gesture but we have to do all we can during this spell of bad weather to ease the burden.

"Any extra income from any source at this time can only be of benefit and while the clubs would have been getting another share from central funding shortly, it was deemed a sensible action for the Board to take by releasing that element of funding now".

On the issue of fixtures there is no panic amongst Conference officials at this time, as there is still plenty of spare capacity in the fixture list for re-arrangements to be made for the fixtures which have been lost so far and those which it is known will be lost over the next 7 days.

Colin Peake
PR & Media
Board Director
The Football Conference