Barnet have placed their first-team coaching and backroom staff, staff at the academy and those on the operational side of the club on notice of redundancy.

The decision, which applies to around 60 employees, has been taken to ensure that the club remains sustainable throughout the current period where there will be no matchday income due to the Coronavirus outbreak suspending the National League.

The club say they have been suffering operational losses of around £100,000 per week since their relegation to the National League as crowds have dropped by around 50 per cent and general costs have increased.

This cost was budgeted for in the hope of promotion, but all of their parachute payments from relegation will cease by the end of April, when the usual season would have finished, leaving the club in a position where it needs to make savings.

The club's existing cost structure will be dismantled and re-built for next season significantly leaner.

Head coach Darren Currie has a longer notice period within his contract, so should remain in charge of the club until at least the end of the season should it resume.

Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous said: “Our greatest concern is that within the UK and across the entire world, people are losing loved ones. Our sympathies and thoughts go out to everyone affected but right now, I have to focus my attention closer to home and look at the impact it’s having on our club.

“It is my responsibility to ensure Barnet FC continues to survive and remains financially stable and therefore, I have had to make difficult decisions.

“I have to be open and honest with the staff and it’s been a difficult past few days having to deliver the bad news but it’s something that had to be done.

“I have not had time to think about plans for next season yet but we will have to find a way to move forward based upon our current crowd attendance because existing National League rules limit any signings we can make or players’ salaries we can commit to going forward.

“The knock-on effects are of course heart-breaking for me personally as I am fully aware of how this will impact my phenomenal team of hard-working support staff across the group.”