Rovers will get a slice of a Championship rescue fund worth £117.5m.

The package will help the 24 second tier clubs whose revenue streams have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with Rovers having had to play their entire season of home matches behind closed doors.

The funding, agreed with MetLife Investment Management, is said to support Championship clubs ‘in meeting PAYE liabilities’.

A similar agreement had been found in December 2020 of up to £50m for clubs in League One and League Two, that coming from the Premier League, whose payment of £15m also helped secure the loan for Championship clubs.

The EFL say Government-backed loans were discussed, but ‘could not be progressed due to the restrictions being imposed’. They say that clubs have lost a combined £150m in gate receipts and other matchday revenue, with the final nine matches of last season, and the majority of this, played behind closed doors.

It comes after Rovers CEO Steve Waggott said the club have received ‘very little’ outside support in the wake of the pandemic. The club are yet to file their accounts for the year to June 2020 that would include some of the losses incurred in the first part of the pandemic, with no matchday revenue since the February 29 fixture against Swansea City.

For EFL chairman Rick Parry, he says the package is ‘timely’ and will allow clubs to plot their way out of the coronavirus pandemic and for the return of fans for the 2021/22 campaign.

“This past month has marked an unwelcome anniversary for football, with supporters now being unable to attend matches for a 12-month period, resulting in multiple negative consequences,” he said.

"This is therefore a much welcome, timely package of support for Championship clubs, whose operations have continued to incur significant costs without generating anywhere near normal levels of revenue.

“I’d like to thank MetLife Investment Management for the positive, proactive approach they adopted throughout our negotiations and for meeting our requirements in what are a unique set of circumstances.

"The support will be pivotal to clubs being able to re-evaluate their financial position and help them start to plot their way out of the pandemic and plan with greater certainty for 2021/22 when we are hoping for the return of fans in large numbers.”