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WG Wolverhampton Wanderers made a profit in 2014-15, but it is dependent on parachute payments which end this year. Pre-tax profits were £2.3m but these reduce to £700,000 when depreciation of the Molineux stadium is taken into account.
Turnover was down from £32.6m to £26.4m, largely reflecting a drop in parachute payments. Gate money, sponsorship and advertising revenue were all up.
Wrexham FC have regained operational control of the Racecourse Ground. Wrexham Glyndwr University will retain ownership, but have offered a 99-year lease to the Supporters’ Trust which will give them greater opportunities to stage conferences and events. The deal does not cover the Colliers Park training ground at Gresford.
Perhaps not surprisingly, a YouGov analysis of the profiles of over 37,000 football fans has found that Liverpool and Manchester United have the least local support of any Premiership teams. However, it is surprising that only 29 per cent of their support came from the whole of the north-west.
Morecambe FC have announced on their official website that the club is for sale. Majority shareholder and chairman Peter McGuigan has been in charge for 16 years.
In a statement Mr McGuigan said, ‘The club moved into a new purpose built wholly-owned stadium in August 2010 and is virtually debt free. There is an option to develop the ground further with a 30,000 square foot pitchside office block which is already 50 per cent pre-let, as well as a 50-60 room hotel adjacent to the stadium.’
This blog post takes an in depth look at why this year’s Premier League is more unpredictable, drawing attention to the more even spread of player talent.
It looks as if a deal can be concluded for Chelsea and Spurs to ground share at Wembley. It will mean more international matches being played away from Wembley and fewer music concerts there. Chelsea would need to be there for three years and Spurs for one year.
Chelsea are thought to have agreed a deal worth £20m a season. With a similar deal for Spurs, the FA would stand to make a total of £80m. Last year events at the stadium generated £83m.
Swansea City players have been warned that relegation from the Premier League would breach not only their responsibilities towards the club but the entire city. The club’s presence in the top flight is estimated to be worth more than £60m to the region, with hundreds of jobs having been created in the leisure and entertainment industries.
It is also thought that the club brings prestige to the city with its name being carried all over the world.
The man behind the idea of a breakaway European super league has argued that Leicester City do not matter in terms of the global popularity of football. ‘What would Manchester United argue, did we create soccer or Leicester?’, said Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevent Sports.
The ‘big five’ teams would make far more money if they were guaranteed entry to a revamped Champions League. Clubs like Manchester United deserved a permanent place in the competition.
The financial position at Leeds United has stabilised compared to the disastrous stewardship of Gulf Financial Holdings, but many underlying problems remain.
The range of geographical and sector specific sponsorships collected by Manchester United is always impressive, but I never expected them to have a co-branded tractor. However, that is what they have launched with Japanese firm Yanmar with whom they already have a sponsorship relationship.
From Yanmar’s point of view it is a way of increasing awareness of the firm outside Japan by associating themselves with a global brand.