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How much is Blackpool worth?

Not much is the short answer from football finance expert Kevin Maguire: How much is Blackpool FC worth?

One of the problems is that bundled up with the club and the ground are a Travelodge and a wedding venue. It might be better to sell them separately. Any football purchaser is likely to want the Squires Gate training ground, but that is in a dilapidated state and will require considerable investment.

Valuations of the club have ranged from £5m to £60m. However, Maguire reckons that a realistic price for a quick sale that would attract buyers would be under £10m. He points out that the club is losing £35,000 a week.

One question is how far revenues can be boosted. Some fans who have boycotted the club will return when the Oystons leave. But there is also the demographic nature of Blackpool and the economic and social challenges it faces as a town, well discussed in a special feature in the Financial Times magazine last weekend. As it noted, Blackpool is one of those coastal towns the economy forgot, perhaps the most dramatic example: Left behind

It's a football club purchase that will appeal to someone who likes a challenge, but it could be very rewarding.

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