Charlie: Cats to lose £7m if season is played BCD
Charlie Methven says Sunderland face net losses of up to £7million if the entire League One season is played behind closed doors.
As revealed earlier this month, Sunderland were facing losses of over £250,000 per game this season after plans to welcomebacksupportersfrom October 1 were paused indefinitely. And with no date for the return of supporters currently set, clubs are having to adjust their financial forecasts accordingly.
For Methven and Sunderland, that means adjusting to a £7million net drop in income.
“You have got the lost gate money, no corporate hospitality, lost retail sales on match day, and there is the week to week loss in conferencing,” he explained. “For us, add those things together it is £9m a season lost revenue. There are reductions in cost for not holding games, stewarding, policing, litter picking. So it is net, about £7m.”
Despite that substantial drop in income, Methven insists the Black Cats are in no long-term danger. But he feels the government’s approach could see some clubs facing troubled times.
"Back in April, May clubs thought: Let's grit our teeth and get through. Dig into reserves and our pockets, this could be a short term thing.
"Unless the Government wake up very quickly there are going to be some historic football club names going to the wall. Sunderland won't be one of them. We have been ultra cautious in the way we set the club up.
"But other clubs will be and through no fault of their own. They had every right to expect to have the ability to get paying fans in, and when the government changes the law, the impact has to be recognised.”