The Key to Bolton's Success - 30/04/2006

Fifteen years ago Bolton were playing at a ramshackle ground and had little to look forward to. Now the club are regular contenders for Europe. No doubt much of the credit must go to manager Sam Allardyce, but there is also a successful off the pitch story to tell. Things started to go right with the construction of the Reebok stadium. Completed at a cost of £35m in 1997, it coincided with Bolton being promoted to the Premiership, although they went down again the next year. Chief executive Allan Duckworth was brought in from sportswear company Umbro. New owner, Manx based Eddie Davies, who made his money in thermostats and kettle parts, is thought to have put in around £14m. Burnden Leisure is now the 23rd largest football business in Europe with 2004-5 revenue at €78.6m, just behind Rangers and slightly ahead of Bayer Leverkusen. The secret of their success is diversification away from football. As Duckworth states, 'Unless you're Manchester United, you don't make profits from football matches themselves.

A former exhibition hall is used for concerts and aims to make £100,000 a year. The vacant north end of the ground now houses the new European headquarters and clothing design centre of Reebok. The De Vere Whites hotel at one end of the ground increased its sales to £8.6m last year, but this still dwarfed by television revenue of £26.8m. The club's debt is under control and season ticket sales have risen from 12,000 to more than 20,000. Duckworth comments, 'We are a hotel shaped like a football stadium. The two businesses feed off each other.'