Football is our national game and, from professional to grassroots levels, it has been impacted heavily by the coronavirus pandemic. The financial crisis facing all sports is a danger to the future of the national game.

Scottish Labour has called on the Scottish Government to launch an emergency fund to help grassroots football survive the pandemic. The game faces grave danger unless financial support is made available and soon.

With new restrictions on contact sport for over-18’s, the need for an emergency fund is more crucial. Grassroots football will effectively be out of action until October 25 in the health board areas of Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley.

I hope the restrictions are not extended and that contact sports can resume after October 25. In the meantime, we need a “Scottish Football Aid” fund and it must be launched without delay to make generous grants to help clubs cope with the loss of matchday revenue.

Hospitality restrictions: The two-week closure on licensed premises could spell the end for many pubs and restaurants. I appreciate the need to control the virus, however the measures laid out by the First Minister last week could have disastrous consequences for people’s livelihoods.

Business owners and employees are facing tough financial decisions and there have been warnings that thousands of jobs could be lost. As well as being punitive for businesses, the new restrictions on hospitality are confusing given the lack of distinction between cafes and restaurants. If local business owners want to raise their concerns with me, please email mary.fee.msp@parliament.scot and I will relay these with the Scottish Government.

Baby and toddler classes: There are no businesses that are immune to the coronavirus crisis. Recently baby and toddler classes and groups have raised concerns about the long-term viability of businesses and charities who run such classes.

Baby and toddler classes are crucial to the development of children, encouraging play and socialisation at a very young age. They are often a lifeline for new mothers who also benefit from socialisation and learning different caring and therapeutic skills for their child.

Unfortunately, many of these businesses and charities are under threat due to the coronavirus restrictions. The Scottish Government has recently increased class sizes for children under 12 months, however the lifting of these restrictions doesn’t go far enough.

I understand that the safety of families is paramount, however the restrictions on baby and toddler classes is harsher than that of schools and some out of school activities.

There must be another way for baby and toddler classes to work for the sake of babies, mothers and business owners.