Is Football sustainable at this level

[Grimsby69]

This is the financial Profit/losses of the current National league clubs. (Excluding last season most clubs figures not yet available). These figures do not prove anything as most are not externally audited and the only true way to judge the finances is to see full audited accounts.

 

[Forza Imps]

I believe that is is, if we got more support from the leagues above. That money needs to be more evenly redistributed.

 

[mnb089mnb]

I believe that is is, if we got more support from the leagues above. That money needs to be more evenly redistributed.

It's not sustainable if you need help from the leagues above.

 

[Chris FGR]

Yes.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Depends how deep your chairmans pockets are really!

 

[Alty Pieman]

Depends how deep your chairmans pockets are really!

No it doesnt have to. We live within our means every season, like several others do judging by the figures above. We only posted a small loss last year as the grant money for our new sports hall didnt arrive until the week after the accounting date.

Its no surprise that nearly all the ex league clubs are the ones in financial trouble and rely on benefactors or run up big debts, year on year.

 

[Railway Blue]

We posted a £98,000 profit last season.

 

[Silver Stone]

If any teams are turning a profit/breaking even, then the answer is yes, it is sustainable. I know my lot aren't on this list, but we've turned six figure profits each of the last two years whilst paying back a new stadium, so yeah.

 

[Southern Shayman]

Yes.

It's a club's choice to run unsustainably - although they will say otherwise as they're "forced" in to it to keep up with bankrolled clubs.

 

[JaggerCFC]

We posted a £98,000 profit last season.

The above pre tax profit for 14/15 and we most likely will have a profit in 15/16 given our model, sine the large loses in 2012/13.

Think most of that was the spending of previous profit from our first two season.

Previous chairman has brought in tighter controls; we should be running sustainably going forward

 

[Silver Stone]

Yes.

It's a club's choice to run unsustainably - although they will say otherwise as they're "forced" in to it to keep up with bankrolled clubs.

This is the key thing, do you sacrifice sustainable operation for ambition? Having been there done that, I choose sustainability every time.

 

[EnglishRed]

Where are those figures from? I'm sure our net losses for 13/14 were nearer the 350k mark, not 590k (I could be wrong, but that's what was quoted at the AGM)

We should be posting net profits this year, so in answer to your question. Of course it is

 

[CFC2010]

Where are those figures from? I'm sure our net losses for 13/14 were nearer the 350k mark, not 590k (I could be wrong, but that's what was quoted at the AGM)

We should be posting net profits this year, so in answer to your question. Of course it is

I don't think our losses for 12/13 were as high as 90k either, it was closer to the 70k mark.

 

[Luke Imp]

Think ours are wrong as well. 13/14 was £100k loss not £175k.

 

[Paddy]

This is the key thing, do you sacrifice sustainable operation for ambition? Having been there done that, I choose sustainability every time.

^ echo that.

 

[Jemfy]

If all the clubs just bothered to run themselves sustainably then they wouldn't have to become unsustainable in order to compete.

Money from leagues above factors in to the budgets, that will just be extra money clubs spend, not money towards breaking even.

 

[pontoonlew]

Football at this level would be sustainable if a few things change

We'd need much more support from the football league, the way the money doesn't filter down is absolutely criminal.

We'd need to eradicate the possibility of Feetwoods/Crawley's continually happening. It's not a 'fairytale' it simply forces the whole league into over spending just to bloody compete. I've no doubt the bigger sides in this league would spend less if clubs with no fan base and other ways of income stopped spending insane amounts of money.

 

[Chris FGR]

We'd need to eradicate the possibility of Feetwoods/Crawley's continually happening. It's not a 'fairytale' it simply forces the whole league into over spending just to bloody compete. I've no doubt the bigger sides in this league would spend less if clubs with no fan base and other ways of income stopped spending insane amounts of money.

If rich businessmen/women want to spend their money investing in a football club they should be free to do so.

No club is forced to overspend trying to compete with them. If you can't match the big spenders, thats tough, don't try to. Accept your place and run your club accordingly.

 

[Silver Stone]

Yeah, I don't see money filtering down as a thing. No club should be dependent on another for its survival in that regard.

 

[1884 Belmont]

It's hardly fair to compare our results from 2013/14 to clubs like Guiseley or Boreham Wood, as we would have been 4 divisions apart at the time and we were competing against the likes of Sheffield United, Peterborough and Wolves (with a circa £14m budget apparently). I'm not convinced the figures are right anyway, but even if they are, you can't use our results to say football at this level is unsustainable. Surely you'd have to use only the clubs who were here during those seasons?
I'd be willing to bet our figures stack up favourably compared to the L1 sides we were playing against that season. What's more concerning is the amount of sides who appear to have been losing significantly more than us. 10 (almost half the league).

 

[slaphead]

Football at this level would be sustainable if a few things change

We'd need much more support from the football league, the way the money doesn't filter down is absolutely criminal.

We'd need to eradicate the possibility of Feetwoods/Crawley's continually happening. It's not a 'fairytale' it simply forces the whole league into over spending just to bloody compete. I've no doubt the bigger sides in this league would spend less if clubs with no fan base and other ways of income stopped spending insane amounts of money.

But isn't that exactly what's happening with Fenty, a rich owner spunking millions chasing a dream?

 

[Boz]

Generally yes.

The one season that we made a profit in the figures quoted was down to player sales. The changes to rules regarding academies and player development make a similar scenario less likely. However, there has been an effort to increase revenue by making more use of the facilities at Prenton Park and I'd be expecting us to be running at a small profit.

 

[Grimsby69]

All figures were taken from company house submissions

 

[DarkSithLord]

All figures were taken from company house submissions

Do you have any figures for Last years Conference Premier? Namely Alfreton?

 

[Grimsby69]

year ending 30 June 2014 - losses of £66,182
Year Ending 30 June 2013 - Losses £69,414
Year Ending 30 June 2012 - Surplus £11,929

 

[Grimsby69]

Not Yet Submitted year ending 2015 due Dec/Jan 16

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

You need to factor in how clubs are funded and their overall Balance Sheet, not just a loss figure, to get a better idea of how well, or badly, clubs are doing. A loss for a year or two isn't necessarily all that bad.

 

[BeesKnees]

I'd also say comparing accounts from when teams are in different divisions doesn't really help either. A 200k loss on a £4m turnover is far more manageable and sustainable than a 100k loss on 400k turnover and that is the level of difference between league 2 and conf north/south

 

[GuiseleySteve]

You need to factor in how clubs are funded and their overall Balance Sheet, not just a loss figure, to get a better idea of how well, or badly, clubs are doing. A loss for a year or two isn't necessarily all that bad.

Borrowings and many other things can mask the true picture too when your just looking at the bottom line

 

[Raymondo316]

This is the key thing, do you sacrifice sustainable operation for ambition? Having been there done that, I choose sustainability every time.

Well one our owners just came out & said in 5 years time he hopes will be in the football league

5 years to get promoted twice & spend a fortune getting the ground upto football league standard......sounds like a recipe for disaster