Fleetwood Town staff are placed on furlough

The move by the Town owner is not exclusive to the football club, but is being done across all of his businesses.

The club have assured all staff that their jobs are still there for them on the return to normality and that the businesses will sort out the 80 per cent payment that is available from the government.

The furlough applies to all non-playing staff at Fleetwood, meaning Joey Barton is included, and everyone that works beneath him.

Players are so far protected from such things due to the PFA, and being on different types of contract to regular staff.

Currently, it is expected that those in more senior positions are anticipating to be on furlough next month but could be back working full-time in May.

For those that work further down in the organisation, they could be looking at two months without their usual full pay.

Players are expected to be advised by the EFL to stay away from the training ground where possible until April 30, which is a delay on the previously mentioned April 6 – which was itself pushed back to April 14.

The plan is to phase employees back into the business and the club, when the players are allowed to regularly return to Poolfoot Farm as normal.

Then, the coaching staff and those that work alongside the playing staff will be taken off furlough and returned to their normal wage.

While on furlough, staff cannot be seen to be doing too much work, otherwise it will affect their 80 per cent pay coming from the state.

It will be a balancing act for some members of staff to do bits of work that simply have to be done, but also remaining away from work in order to still get as much of their pay as is currently possible.

A lot of what affects the period of furlough is the return of the EFL season, which is still up in the air.

There is ongoing communication between the EFL and the clubs but it is still unclear when football will get back underway in the top six tiers.