Football clubs like Carlisle United could face the possibility of going bust by September, according to the English Football League chairman.

ELF chairman Rick Parry has warned of “a £200 million hole” in the finances of lower league clubs brought on by the suspension of play during the coronavirus pandemic.

League One and League Two football clubs reached an agreement to end the 2019/2020 season last week.

Carlisle United Official Supporters' Club has spoken about the importance of their Covid-19 fighting fund, Carlisle REUnited, during the time of financial hardship.

A spokesperson for the supporters' club said: “It is well known the club were losing over £500,000 a season. Cost-cutting measures have helped but the Blues are still running on a significant operating loss even in a normal season.”

Not wanting to rely on hard-hit local businesses or the Premier League for funding, the supporters' club have taken matters into their own hands.

“While a cash buffer from transfer fees will help for a few months, it is hard not to see problems mounting when the new season gets underway.”

They added that it would have cost £125,000 per club for Covid-19 testing if the 2019/2020 season went ahead.

CUOSC said: “The figures are clearly unsustainable and are why CUOSC are seeking help from everyone who wants to see league football not only survive but thrive in the city.”

The latest in a series of fundraising activities to make sure the Blues are “REUnited” will be an online quiz hosted by the side’s head coach Chris Beech.

A virtual pub quiz is set to be held by the Carlisle United boss on video conference app Zoom with a £5 entry fee contributing to the Carlisle REUnited fund.

The quiz will be held on Wednesday at 7pm and a Carlisle United shirt from the 2020/2021 season will be up for grabs, signed by Chris Beech.

Beech said: “I’m looking forward to hosting the quiz on Wednesday. CUOSC spoke to me about it earlier in the week and I think it’s good that I’ll be helping with the Carlisle REUnited fundraising initiative at the same time as bringing us together as a group.

“I’ve said from day one that I want us all to be pulling in the same direction and it’s things like this which help us to achieve that. Hopefully, quite a few of our fans will take part and we’ll have a bit of fun with it along the way.”

Blues veterans like Jimmy Glass, Derek Asamoah and Dean Walling have recently spoken out in support of the campaign.

For details on how to support the Carlisle REUnited fund, visit http://cuosc.org.uk/carlisle-reunited