Motherwell Finances

The financial results for the 2008-2009 season are worrying for Motherwell.

For the first time since the administration the club has made a loss, and it is a huge loss at just over £700,000. The directors put this largely down to "the difficulties facing all Scottish clubs in the current economic climate", and "the demise of Setanta .... contributed a significant amount to the loss of the club."

The loss of the Setanta money would be an issue, but the drop in TV money turned out to be under £120,000 down compared to the previous season so this does not in itself explain the £700,000 loss.

More worryingly for the long term was the big drop in income from gate receipts. Part of this was due to Gretna not using Fir Park, but the drop in "bums on seats" income to the lowest level since 2004 is a major concern. The club are putting more effort into their community links, and have recruited ten new staff into this area.

The TV money and the gate receipts are not really that much different from previous season. The big difference to the finances is the lack of big income from the sale of a player. If a Scott Macdonald had been available to sell the club would have turned out profitable. The requirement to have a successful youth policy is clear.

The outgoings of the club are dominated by the wages. £3.4m went on wages, a figure that is way too high with the incomings at only £4.4m. The directors report that "the board appreciates more than ever that initiatives need to be taken to redress this decline and various initiatives will be announced and implemented throughout season 2010/11". This shows they are aware of the problems, but it begs the question as to why it is taking so long to start addressing them.

The club only survived financially through recent years due to the loan supplied by John Boyle. During the 2008-09 season Boyle was repaid £132k of this loan.