The Political Economy of Football V2

A consortium led by James Bord, owner of Scottish club Dunfermline Athletic, has been named as the preferred bidder to purchase Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.  Bord, 44, was selected over a group led by the Chicago-based Storch family and former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley who were seen as the front runners. Joint administrator Paul Stanley said: “From a financial perspective, the proposed financial offer from the preferred bidder provides certainty for the club. The consortium we intend to progress with has submitted the strongest overall proposal for the club. “This includes: A fully funded offer, clear financial assurances to support the club’s trading requirements, a structure that allows all creditor obligations to be dealt with in accordance with EFL rules, meaning no further sporting sanctions are anticipated as part of the transaction.” Bord is a former professional poker player who founded his own consultancy called Short Circuit Science in 2016, which...

Dunfermline lost over £1m in 22/23 taking total losses over £9.5m but still has plenty of cash in the bank.  Dunfermline’s squad had a zero cost by end of 22/23 as previous player purchases now fully amortised, reports football finance guru Kieran Maguire.   Dunfermline have borrowed £1m from German investors which will in time be converted into shares giving them control of the club. More information here:  https://dafc.co.uk/club-update-annual-accounts-2022-23-season/

 Dunfermline Athletic have announced that a 30% stake in the club has been acquired by a German investment group, who have the option to increase their stake to 75.1% by summer 2022 at the latest. The Scottish Supporters Network comments, 'Many may see this as a setback for the cause of supporter ownership; but in truth, while those like us who believe passionately in supporter ownership as the ideal structure for our football clubs will be disappointed to read this news, we must recognise the progress that has been made at East End Park. The Masterton/Yorkston regime, which ran up massive debts and almost eviscerated a 128 year old community institution, was replaced by a broad representative body which blended the democratic principles of the supporters trust with a number of wealthy local individuals, who together steered the club into calmer waters.  The supporters trust’s stake was enough to ensure no takeover could progress without their approval, and they ...

Many Scottish football clubs could go bust in the next few months if they do not receive emergency funding says football finance expert Kieran Maguire: Funding needed to survive outbreak Maguire said: 'What football now has is a cash flow crisis. Match day sales account for around half of the money taken in by Scottish clubs. They are reliant on supporters coming through the turnstiles to pay the bills. Even if they return to a scenario where matches are taking place behind closed doors in order to complete the season that is not going to address the problems that the clubs have. Having season ticket money in will negate cash flow issues for the bigger clubs. If you are a smaller club then your finances tend to be quite precarious. Dunfermline Athletic had been on budget until the crisis struck, but are now hoping that season ticket sales in May will provide much needed cash flow: Dunfermline South of the border there have been calls for Premier League clubs to fund their po...