Playing Budget

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Fuller
Posts: 2675
Joined: 27 Jun 2012, 09:23
I haven’t got a clue what our playing budget is but I caught a short interview with Dale Vince on the radio earlier today saying that their budget will increase by £1 million for next season, mainly due to increased money from the EFL and increased attendances.
Their Director of Football has been persuaded to stay as well despite overtures elsewhere.
As long as we finish above them and not in the bottom four I’ll be happy though….
shevates
Posts: 1363
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:23
Location: cheltenhamshire
Apparently only Crewes budget was lower than ours, they finished bottom and got relegated, that shows what a great job MD done for our club. I believe his budget was 1.25 Million
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Shade
Posts: 16823
Joined: 27 Sep 2010, 13:02
Location: Cheltenhamshire
MD said there will is a small increase in the budget he has been given.

Unfortunately for us, the extra income has to subsidise more than just the budget. FGR's money man can cover everything else for them.
Robin
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Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 11:19
According to David Bloxham our budget was just under £2million last season so likely somewhere around that figure now. It may sound a lot but plenty of clubs at this level operating with over £5million now.
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longmover
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Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 18:55
Robin wrote: 11 May 2022, 08:36 According to David Bloxham our budget was just under £2million last season so likely somewhere around that figure now. It may sound a lot but plenty of clubs at this level operating with over £5million now.
This is where the club is going to really struggle, we have no owner(s) who are willing to sink £3/4 million into the club per season and we have hardly any other income stream. We aren't going to be able to compete with clubs (smaller and similar size to us) on wages, it really is going to be tough.
Fuller
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Joined: 27 Jun 2012, 09:23
longmover wrote: 11 May 2022, 10:45
Robin wrote: 11 May 2022, 08:36 According to David Bloxham our budget was just under £2million last season so likely somewhere around that figure now. It may sound a lot but plenty of clubs at this level operating with over £5million now.
This is where the club is going to really struggle, we have no owner(s) who are willing to sink £3/4 million into the club per season and we have hardly any other income stream. We aren't going to be able to compete with clubs (smaller and similar size to us) on wages, it really is going to be tough.
Wouldn't surprise me Robin if some of the big clubs are operating with even higher wage bills.
And it's not just the playing budget, it's getting individuals or companies or the council onside to improve the outdated facilities at Whaddon Road and therefore generate extra income.
No doubt we are punching above our weight. No idea if we can ever to change the business model to everyone's satisfaction, but the club I look at is Wycombe. Sensibly run with seemingly good outside investment, improved facilities over the years and signing some great players for this level, and good luck to them.
andgarod
Posts: 1315
Joined: 19 May 2015, 18:31
Didnt WW have a private investor /chairman so not a fan run club

At the last forum PG said that we were bottom 2 but equal with someone else and that there was a group of clubs ahead of us but not substantially
What constitutes a group 3 or more perhaps

What happens to clubs in administration etc can they just pump in money or is there a transfer ban in place

With the right manager and a grasp of our finances we can and will punch above our weight and this will attract other sponsors
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longmover
Posts: 2822
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 18:55
Fuller wrote: 11 May 2022, 12:20
longmover wrote: 11 May 2022, 10:45
Robin wrote: 11 May 2022, 08:36 According to David Bloxham our budget was just under £2million last season so likely somewhere around that figure now. It may sound a lot but plenty of clubs at this level operating with over £5million now.
This is where the club is going to really struggle, we have no owner(s) who are willing to sink £3/4 million into the club per season and we have hardly any other income stream. We aren't going to be able to compete with clubs (smaller and similar size to us) on wages, it really is going to be tough.
Wouldn't surprise me Robin if some of the big clubs are operating with even higher wage bills.
And it's not just the playing budget, it's getting individuals or companies or the council onside to improve the outdated facilities at Whaddon Road and therefore generate extra income.
No doubt we are punching above our weight. No idea if we can ever to change the business model to everyone's satisfaction, but the club I look at is Wycombe. Sensibly run with seemingly good outside investment, improved facilities over the years and signing some great players for this level, and good luck to them.
Wycombe have got American owners with very deep pockets.
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Shade
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Joined: 27 Sep 2010, 13:02
Location: Cheltenhamshire
We have said before in terms of points, but MD (along with Micky Moore) is worth an extra £1m on the budget. IE, he could make a £2m budget seem like a £3m budget through good singings and then his management/coaching. When he does go, hopefully we can only hope we don't get a Gould/Allen to replace him, but hopefully give another promising young manager a go (or Grant McCann, who is still fairly young for a manager but with the bonus of plenty of League 1 management already)
Robin
Posts: 15948
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 11:19
andgarod wrote: 11 May 2022, 13:16 Didnt WW have a private investor /chairman so not a fan run club

At the last forum PG said that we were bottom 2 but equal with someone else and that there was a group of clubs ahead of us but not substantially
What constitutes a group 3 or more perhaps

What happens to clubs in administration etc can they just pump in money or is there a transfer ban in place

With the right manager and a grasp of our finances we can and will punch above our weight and this will attract other sponsors
I clearly don't know who the clubs are but it seems fairly obvious that ourselves, Burton, Fleetwood (now there owner has cut back a lot), Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Cambridge will all be within relative proximity of each other wage budget wise. Wycombe would have been in that group too but have benefited from a season in a Championship (where TV revenue is significantly higher) and some external investment. Then you have clubs like Ipswich (I recall hearing their wage budget is probably five times the size of ours), Sunderland, Sheff Wednesday will be in a totally different league and probably somewhere around £10million a season.

We've done super well to get where we are and player sales in recent leagues have been a great platform for our exceptional manager but we absolutely need a new main stand to sustain this level of football. It will likely cost us £5-6 million but finding ways to fund it should be the strategic priority of the board.
plymrob
Posts: 337
Joined: 11 Jul 2014, 14:03
No, we do need to do that much.

Please, keep MD (hopefully), and let's just remain the over performing team, with a good 'underdog' team spirit.... League One is great. Pushing for (and definitely getting into) the Championship would be unreal - good times, but, I fear, a quick relegation and return... Let's just consolidate... For me, this means best manager and a keen team - over enthusiasm about hospitality and a bigger capacity ground - with the same average number of fans attending...(and a debt for building/improving it)... No thank you.

I think fan numbers are not going to change quickly and/or in the wanted for ratio... Just look at the end of season averages over the last decades... Slowly, very slowly, catchy monkey... maybe... More fans first, ground improvements follow... and please keep a standing home end!
Robin
Posts: 15948
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 11:19
plymrob wrote: 11 May 2022, 18:54 No, we do need to do that much.

Please, keep MD (hopefully), and let's just remain the over performing team, with a good 'underdog' team spirit.... League One is great. Pushing for (and definitely getting into) the Championship would be unreal - good times, but, I fear, a quick relegation and return... Let's just consolidate... For me, this means best manager and a keen team - over enthusiasm about hospitality and a bigger capacity ground - with the same average number of fans attending...(and a debt for building/improving it)... No thank you.

I think fan numbers are not going to change quickly and/or in the wanted for ratio... Just look at the end of season averages over the last decades... Slowly, very slowly, catchy monkey... maybe... More fans first, ground improvements follow... and please keep a standing home end!
That's just not how this works. We already don't have capacity for bigger games, we've sold out the seats on multiple occasions this season and cannot accommodate the away support of bigger clubs so we are losing money already. Any new stand would almost certainly see an increase in average attendances by how much is anyone's guess but I'd be amazed if we didn't average over 5000 in this league (from current 4300).
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29758
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
plymrob wrote: 11 May 2022, 18:54 No, we do need to do that much.

Please, keep MD (hopefully), and let's just remain the over performing team, with a good 'underdog' team spirit.... League One is great. Pushing for (and definitely getting into) the Championship would be unreal - good times, but, I fear, a quick relegation and return... Let's just consolidate... For me, this means best manager and a keen team - over enthusiasm about hospitality and a bigger capacity ground - with the same average number of fans attending...(and a debt for building/improving it)... No thank you.

I think fan numbers are not going to change quickly and/or in the wanted for ratio... Just look at the end of season averages over the last decades... Slowly, very slowly, catchy monkey... maybe... More fans first, ground improvements follow... and please keep a standing home end!
Seats sell out for most games. Attendances won’t grow until more seats are available.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29758
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Robin wrote: 11 May 2022, 14:02
andgarod wrote: 11 May 2022, 13:16 Didnt WW have a private investor /chairman so not a fan run club

At the last forum PG said that we were bottom 2 but equal with someone else and that there was a group of clubs ahead of us but not substantially
What constitutes a group 3 or more perhaps

What happens to clubs in administration etc can they just pump in money or is there a transfer ban in place

With the right manager and a grasp of our finances we can and will punch above our weight and this will attract other sponsors
I clearly don't know who the clubs are but it seems fairly obvious that ourselves, Burton, Fleetwood (now there owner has cut back a lot), Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Cambridge will all be within relative proximity of each other wage budget wise. Wycombe would have been in that group too but have benefited from a season in a Championship (where TV revenue is significantly higher) and some external investment. Then you have clubs like Ipswich (I recall hearing their wage budget is probably five times the size of ours), Sunderland, Sheff Wednesday will be in a totally different league and probably somewhere around £10million a season.

We've done super well to get where we are and player sales in recent leagues have been a great platform for our exceptional manager but we absolutely need a new main stand to sustain this level of football. It will likely cost us £5-6 million but finding ways to fund it should be the strategic priority of the board.
At the recent Q&A DB talked about how Burton and Morecambe make a lot more money from non-football uses of commercial and event space, more than their football related income potentially.

Accrington and Fleetwood both have moneybags owners who put in £3-5million each season.
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