Bradford Bulls must raise game on back of £311,000 financial losses

[josie andrews]

Peter Hood today warned that another season of failure was “simply unthinkable” after the Bulls reported increased losses and a fall in turnover.

Bradford’s accounts for the 2010 financial year revealed losses of £311,403, compared to £78,728 in 2009, while turnover fell from £4.6million to £3.96million.

The average Super League club lost £553,879 in the same period last year, so we did better than most, but our football hasn’t been good enough for too long and we know that

Peter Hood
Yet chairman Hood cited mitigating factors for the slump – as 2010 saw the Bulls pay the second, undisclosed instalment of a three-year compensation package to rivals Leeds over the Iestyn Harris transfer wrangle.

It was also the first year since 2003 that Bradford did not benefit from £334,286 of non-cash deferred income arising from the club’s return to Odsal.

Furthermore, the 2010 campaign marked the Bulls’ lowest crowds of the Super League era as the average home gate dropped to 8,434.

That left Hood to acknowledge the importance of Bradford – who have recruited six new players and will again spend close to or up to the salary cap in 2012 – emerging as a serious force once again.

Hood said: “The average Super League club lost £553,879 in the same period last year, so we did better than most, but our football hasn’t been good enough for too long and we know that.

“Yet Mick Potter is confident that is going to change next year on the back of the new signings we have made. I think fans can see the efforts being made to put things right on the field.”

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[shaunedwardsfanclub]

If you think that the Bulls have a problem then look at the financial returns submitted by the Saints. Added to the large losses that they have suffered in the last few years will be, I presume, a massive loss in 2011.

By the way, Warrington made a profit of over £100k last year, so somebody is doing something right!

[Shaun1967]

Warrintons profit was closer to £200K last season, from a turnover of £6million.
Wigan reported a profit of just over £100k from a turnover of £5.5 million.
Warrington have the benefit of owning their own ground which generates profit.

[DaveO]

Warrintons profit was closer to £200K last season, from a turnover of £6million.
Wigan reported a profit of just over £100k from a turnover of £5.5 million.
Warrington have the benefit of owning their own ground which generates profit.

But you can't attribute the extra £100K profit to that alone.

Last season Warrington got to Wembley and as IL says that makes a club a lot of money. More than getting to the Grand Final. That is one huge reason why IL wanted us to get there.

So it isn't just the fact they own their own ground that generated them profit but the on-field success of getting to Wembley. It will be interesting to compare the figures for 2011 given we got there and they did not.

If they can only make £100K extra because they own ground while getting to Wembley it just shows owning your own ground is not what it is cracked up to be.

Surprisingly I also believe they out-sold Wigan on merchandise (which may also have been due to getting to Wembley) which goes to show the potential we have for improvement given the bigger fan base we have.

[Shaun1967]

But you can't attribute the extra £100K profit to that alone.

I wasn't.

[DaveO]

But you can't attribute the extra £100K profit to that alone.

I wasn't.

OK but it was a reasonable assumption to make that you attributed their higher profit to the fact they own their own ground since you highlighted Wires profit, our smaller profit and then said because Wire own their own ground it generates profit.