BREAKING: Doncaster Rovers players and staff placed on furlough - but club pledges all employees will be paid in full

However Rovers and parent organisation Club Doncaster have pledged to ensure staff are paid their full wages throughout the period.

This has been extended also to casual staff such as matchday workers as the club looks to ensure none are unduly impacted by the move to furlough.

The move was confirmed in a statement released by chief executive Gavin Baldwin on Friday.

The club have moved to take part in the furlough scheme as the financial implications of the crisis begin to be felt in earnest.

With football activity suspended by organising bodies, clubs have lost the primary revenue streams of matchdays.

While Rovers continually diversify into other revenue streams via the stadium and its surrounds, many of those have also dried up due to the ongoing lockdown of society.

Under the current scheme, furloughed employees will have 80 per cent of their wages covered by the government.

Club Doncaster have elected to cover the remainder of the paycheque of their employees through the period of furlough - something they are not obligated to do.

“It is now clear that it cannot be business as usual until we as a society have made progress in the fight against COVID-19,” Baldwin said.

“We have asked a number of staff across the group to go into furlough.

“This means we can receive a significant payment from the Government towards their salaries - up to 80% or £2,500 per month per employee - although we intend to top up all wages to 100% for as long as possible.”

Under the current government scheme, those that have been furloughed remain employed but are not in work and therefore do not earn a salary.

However, as a measure to help businesses survive through the current crisis and prevent mass unemployment, the government introduced new measures and safeguards through a job retention scheme.

This meant companies could furlough employees with the government paying up to 80 per cent of an individual’s wage, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.