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Football stadiums
Wembley Stadium continues to be a drain on the Football Association’s revenues rather than a money spinner according to its latest accounts. Despite attracting two million visitors to 28 events last year, the stadium made a pre-tax loss of £12.1m. Although this was a reduction from £15.6m, the recession hit Club Wembley revenues, which fell from £65m to £60m. Club Wembley represented a fifth of total turnover of £304m.
The deal for West Ham to move into the Olympic Stadium has collapsed – and Spurs won’t be moving in either. The ongoing legal dispute with Spurs, but also that with Leyton Orient, has effectively torpedoed the deal in its current form for both clubs after concerns over the delays it was causing.
Mansfield Town FC are considering moving to a new stadium in the latest stage in their battle with previous owner and landlord Keith Haslam. Five sites are under consideration. Chairman John Radford unveiled the ‘Plan B’ in his programme notes for yesterday’s game against Grimsby.
Chelsea and QPR may be thinking of moving, but Fulham FC have announced that they are going to stay at their historic home at Craven Cottage and expand the capacity to 30,000.
Wasps rugby club has been put up for sale and anticipates returning to its historic base in West London. The decision was taken by owner Steve Hayes after Wycombe District Council withdrew its support for a new complex in the Booker area of the town. Wasps have shared Adams Park with Wycombe Wanderers, also owned by Hayes, since 2002. One of the difficulties is access to and from the ground which is along a single road through an industrial estate.
Many Chelsea fans consider that there a number of unanswered questions about the proposed move away from Stamford Bridge and are mobilising to ensure that any decision has been fully thought through and is in the best long-term interests of the club.
Various fan groups such as the Chelsea Supporters Club, the Chelsea Supporters Group and CFC UK are planning a meeting for Monday to organise their tactics before the vote of Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC (CPO) shareholders on October 27th.
Gate money is a key element in Manchester United’s overall success and in particular has helped to provide the financial means that have allowed them to out distance Liverpool. Chelsea’s stadium is only the eighth largest in the Premier League which curbs matchday revenues. So it is no surprise that Chelsea have revived plans to move away from the Bridge.
York City FC’s planning application for a new stadium holds the key to their future. The club owe £2m to the Football Stadia Improvement Fund of the Football Foundation. York borrowed the money to purchase thier Bootham Crescent ground and will need either to repay this sum or convert it to a grant by September 2013.
London mayor Boris Johnson thinks it is imperative that Spurs stay at their North London home in the light of the recent riots. The Greater London Authority and Haringey Council have put together a £17m package that would relieve Spurs of the requirement to make the community infrastructure payments that planners normally require. Under the proposal improvements would be made to links t
A new stadium is essential for Everton if they are to be successful according to former chief executive Trevor Birch. He spent just six weeks at the club before leaving.
It is often overlooked that gate money is still important to a club’s overall financial model. Manchester United can generate £100m a year from this source and Everton just £20m. To put it another way, United take £3m a game and the Toffees £500k-£700k.