Olympic Stadium costs rise

The overall bill for the Olympic Stadium is set to soar well beyond £600m before West Ham United move in after it emerged that installing the complex roof would be far more expensive than originally thought.

The complications will not cost West Ham – due to move into the 54,000-seat stadium from the start of the 2016-17 season – another penny on top of the £15m they have pledged towards the conversion.

Will QPR win stadium battle?

Old Oak Common is London’s biggest regeneration opportunity since the Olympics. For QPR the question is whether they will be able to build the new stadium there that they see as essential to the future of the club. Their ‘New Queens Park’ scheme involves building 24,000 homes and it is claimed that it would create 55,000 jobs.

How much cash does Arsenal have to spend?

At last week’s annual general meeting Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis insisted that it is ‘quite untrue to suggest the club is sitting on a huge cash pile that it is refusing to use.’   He claims that the amount available to spend is much lower than has previously been suggested with a figure of £20m being mentioned.   That would hardly be enough to shore up the defence in the way that most commentators agree is needed.

Do Hull have financial worries?

Most clubs would be pleased with a profit of £9.4m on a turnover of £84.8m.  Indeed, by the standards of football the latest financial results from Hull City represent an exceptional performance.

Admittedly, the figures are for an eleven month period to 30 June so that if one added in July the figure would reduce to £3.3m.   That would be wiped out by the £4m of FA Cup revenue obtained by the finalists.

Where is women’s football going?

This article takes an in depth look at the state of women’s football in England, including its history and a comparison with the fully professional league in the United States.

The Football Association aims to make it the second most popular sport in the UK.   There is quite a long way to go, certainly in terms of attendances.   They are comparable with those of non-league teams and, indeed, most matches are played in non-league stadiums.

United to boost commercial income

Manchester United are seeking to boost their already considerable commercial income, forecast to pass the £200m mark this year, by taking full advantage of their new kit contract with adidas.

The contract kicks in next summer and will guarantee United a minimum of £75m annually over the next ten years, three times the base value of the Nike arrangement.   Moreover, the club have negotiated a deal that will allow them to retain the licensing rights to all items apart from signature items such as replica kits and training gear.