MX23RW : Friday, November 8 16:50:12| >> :120:37200:37200:

Motherwell post 2020 profit despite coronavirus pandemic

Motherwell post 2020 profit despite coronavirus pandemic
© Reuters
The £346,590 profit came against a previous loss of £435,970 in 2019, a swing of £782,560.

Motherwell have posted a profit of £346,590 for the year ending May 31 2020.

This profit came against a previous loss of £435,970 in 2019, a swing of £782,560.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in an early finish to last season, the Lanarkshire club's turnover rose by nearly £0.4m to £4.95m, up from £4.59m in the previous year.

A statement on their official website said Motherwell's "view is that the club remains in a strong position" but also noted "genuine and ongoing threats" from the coronavirus crisis which, among other things, has meant no fans at Fir Park this season.

The statement reviewed the financial year and said: "A member's resolution gave the SPFL Board the power to officially end the leagues and decide the outcome on an average-points basis, which they did on May 18 2020.

"This decision meant the club confirmed a third-place finish in the Scottish Premiership in the 2019-20 season, completing 30 of the campaign's 38 matches.

"That represented our best league finish for six years, having finished second in 2013-14. It also meant a return to Europa League football for the first time since 2014.

"Sadly, there were no significant runs in either domestic cup competitions during the year.

"The shortening to the season and the lockdown restrictions, which started in mid-March and are likely to continue until at least the end of the 2020-21 campaign, had a material impact on the club's ability to generate revenue in the last quarter. Included in that was the loss of at least four home matches, one being a Category A fixture.

"We continue to trade effectively in the transfer market. The overall figure on player registration gains is up by over £260,000, posting a final figure of £1.04m, compared to £781,000 the previous year.

"This came primarily from the sale of James Scott to Hull in January 2020."

The statement continued: "Shortly after year end, the club also traded David Turnbull to Celtic for a fee significantly higher than the previous record received for Phil O'Donnell back in 1994.

"Costs for the year have remained relatively consistent. There was a slight increase in our staff costs, most of which resulted from performance-related bonuses for confirming third place and European football.

"Most importantly, during the year the club settled the outstanding amounts owed to Mr J Boyle and Mr L Hutchison.

"This repayment was facilitated by a small loan on favourable terms, offered by five Motherwell-supporting individuals.

"The five were all fully repaid less than two months later following James Scott's sale to Hull.

"At the height of lockdown, to ensure sound management of the club's cash flow, the club took advantage of HMRC schemes to defer VAT and PAYE/NIC liabilities and took out a small £50,000 "bounce back" loan from the UK Government.

"The "bounce back" loan is the only external debt on the balance sheet, with the only other borrowings currently being to the Well Society, an accumulation of their contributions across the last nine years, totalling £868,000.

"It is our view that the club remains in a strong position, but we are cognisant of the genuine and ongoing threats to the whole football infrastructure from the current crisis.

"The work that has been done to establish the club's model and strategy in recent years has been successful, but we have to do more."

ID:431379: cacheID:431379:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4751:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard pictured on January 2, 2021
Read Next:
Steven Gerrard trying to keep Rangers players grounded
>
Read more about James Scott Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic109102932628
2Aberdeen109102091128
3RangersRangers10613158719
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd114431513216
5Motherwell105141313016
6Dundee113351720-312
7St Mirren123361521-612
8Kilmarnock113351523-812
9Ross County122641018-812
10St Johnstone123181525-1010
11Hearts122371419-59
12Hibernian111551016-68


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!