The Political Economy of Football V2

Eastleigh FC have increased season ticket prices by nearly 200 per cent.   Chairman Stewart Donald has made numerous attempts to sell the club or bring in new investors since losing his wife to cancer this year. The club blames increasing rates and utility bills along with the pending rise in the minimum wage.  Early bird prices range between £175 and £275 for adults and are still below the league average.  Eastleigh are currently 18th in the National League where they have been since 2014.   They have never really looked like promotion hopefuls but have evaded relegation. The town's population is listed as 24,000 and Southampton with its Championship team is not far away.

Sunderland have been taken over by an international consortium headed by Eastleigh chairman Stewart Donald who has put £10m into the National League club. He has put Eastleigh up for sale: Sale agreed Donald is prepared to let Eastleigh go for free, but they were losing £37,000 a week in 2016/17 and finished 14th this season, so whoever takes over the Spitfires will need deep pockets. Outgoing owner Lewis Short has written off the club's debts which were the 13th highest in Europe. It is thought that eliminating the debt could cost him in excess of £100m, thereby lifting his total spending on Sunderland to around £250m. Stewart Donald is a millionaire businessman who owns Bridle Insurance, a brokers which specialises in the civil engineering and construction industries. He is a lifelong Oxford United supporter.