FSA Responds To State Of The Game Report

The Football Supporters Association has responded to the 'State of the Game' report which suggested that 94% of football clubs in the top five divisions are loss-making.

FSA chair Tom Greatrex said:

“The State of the Game report clearly highlights the unsustainable, broken model of football’s finances. 

“How is our national game, which generates billions in revenue every year, in such a perilous condition with so many clubs living hand-to-mouth and reliant on regular handouts from owners?

“Whether you are a football finance expert or a match going supporter who pays little attention to off-field issues, it is astonishing that almost one in three clubs could not survive for more than a month if an owner stopped funding them.

“This is an alarm call for English men’s professional football that must precipitate real and lasting change.”

Protections

In October 2019 FSA proposals which pushed for more independent regulation and real time financial protections were passed by the FA Council but ignored by the FA Board.

They were needed then and they are needed now.

Many clubs have found themselves in crisis during the past decade. Bury were expelled from the EFL while nearby Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic flirted with insolvency. 

Macclesfield FC rose from the ashes of Macclesfield Town while Derby County, Morecambe Reading, Southend United and Sheffield Wednesday all teetered on the brink as football failed to adopt measures which could protect its clubs.

Supporters of those clubs deserved better and the risk to all of our clubs, from the top to the bottom of the game, is still huge. Two-thirds say they could not last for more than 90 days without cash injections from owners.

Football clubs are named after the towns and cities from which they were born. They are the primary means by which millions of people across the country express their local identity and pride every week. They are too important to be left to fail.

Supporter engagement

There’s a lot to digest in the 245-page report but we hope it is the first step on a road which will reshape the game’s finances and give all of our clubs the protection they deserve.

We are also pleased to see the IFR acknowledge our work and we thank the 89 supporter organisations who provided evidence to the State of the Game survey administered by the FSA.

Supporter engagement is central to what we do, and it is now a key feature of the IFR’s licensing regime, which recognises the importance of the fan voice and club heritage.

We will always strive to improve supporter engagement but the fact that clubs now have legal obligations to consult supporters is a big step forward and an FSA campaign success. 

State Of The Game Report

State of the Game report: English football dangerously exposed

This from the FSA

Today the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) released its first State of the Game report, a detailed analysis of English football’s financial sustainability, their findings are summarised below.

• English football brings in over £9bn but IFR finds 94 per cent of clubs are loss making
• Nearly two-thirds of EFL and National League clubs are technically insolvent and increasingly reliant on owners
• More than a quarter of clubs would be unable to survive more than 30 days if owners pulled funding

The IFR’s draft State of the Game report has concluded English football’s finances are dangerously exposed, with the majority of clubs living on the edge of financial disaster.

The report found that while interest and investment from around the world continues to grow, the underlying foundations of the pyramid are under intense strain and require urgent reform.

According to the IFR’s research 94 per cent of clubs are loss-making, with long term security being put at risk through excessive short-term spending to keep up with rivals.

This has led to a dangerous cocktail of rising debt and an over-reliance on owner funding, leaving clubs and their fans at risk.

IFR chair David Kogan said:

“At the heart of English football’s success is a massive contradiction. While some of our clubs are among the richest and most competitive in the world, others are standing on the edge of financial disaster.

“Skyrocketing revenues have been outpaced by costs which in turn have pushed up debt, loss-making and an over-reliance on owner funding.

“A significant number of clubs have told us they would not survive if their owners walked away. This lack of resilience can no longer be ignored.

“Anyone reading this report can be in no doubt about the need for intervention.”

The report sets out how English football has become the richest, best and most deeply competitive in the world, driven by the economic success of the Premier League.

But, at the same time, it highlights a growing contradiction in the game, as the financial cliff-edges between and within leagues have grown significantly. The average Premier League club now earns more than eight times the average Championship side, the report found.

The existing system of parachute payments paid by the Premier League to Championship clubs relegated from the top division contributes to the incentives for Championship clubs to overspend.

This in turn drives up player wage inflation, leading to those teams taking even bigger risks to chase the dream of a place in the Premier League.

Beyond player costs, the IFR report found that lower down the pyramid the pressure from operating costs was also on the rise, with 17 EFL and National League clubs incurring costs exceeding revenues. These clubs would be loss making even if they didn’t pay their players.

The report found that more than 60 per cent of EFL and National League clubs are technically insolvent with their liabilities exceeding the book value of their assets.

More than a quarter of clubs would be unable to survive for more than one month if owner funding was withdrawn, with the majority lacking a basic contingency plan to mitigate their risk.

Taken together the findings of the State of the Game report should serve as a wakeup call for English football.

As part of the report, the IFR is announcing today a six-point plan to address some of the issues it has identified and deliver on its mission to improve the financial sustainability of clubs and resilience of the whole of the pyramid in the long-term interests of fans.

The plan includes measures for clubs to improve how they manage financial risk, including holding more cash and putting robust contingency plans in place in case owner funding is withdrawn.

It also outlines how revenue distribution should be reformed to ease cliff-edges throughout the pyramid, urges action on rising losses and calls on clubs to show how they take fans’ views into account, and the steps they are taking to improve diversity and governance in the boardroom.

Hereford 13/2 To Win League Title

Hereford are now 13/2 to win the National North League title this season.

Before last weekend's home defeat by Hednesford, Hereford were 5/1.

Macclesfield 3/1

South Shields 4/1

Hereford 13/2

Chester 8/1 

Under 18's Away In HFA Cup

Hereford Under 18's have been drawn away in the second round of the HFA Giantkillers Cup.

They will travel to Pershore Town in the week commencing November 16th. 

REACTION | Cawley Cox - Interview after Saturday's game

Cawley Cox spoke to the media after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Hednesford Town, click on the play button to hear his thoughts.

Match Pictures Hereford v Hednesford

A selection of pictures from yesterday's game at Edgar Street.

Hereford Women Lose To Crusaders

Hereford Women lost their League game played at Bromyard this afternoon.

The final score was: Hereford 1 Crusaders 5

At half time Crusaders were leading 3-0.

Hereford are now 7th in the table with 6 points from 6 games.

Next Sunday Hereford are due to play Ludlow in the HFA Womens County Cup.

The game is listed to take place at Edgar Street with a 2pm kick-off.  

I Think We Deserved Three Points Said Hednesford Manager

 

Hednesford manager Kelvin Davies was pleased to come away from Edgar Street with a 1-0 over top of the table Hereford yesterday.

His side had also had a two week break from football and he felt they had benefitted from that.

"Obviously great away from home  a 1-0 win," he said.

"I said to the team this performance started two weeks ago.

"I'm pleased we put the time in at the training ground and it's paid off.

"It's a real positive performance and some top performers within it.

"They are top of the league and a great outfit. They know what they are up to. Very well organised, well coached.

"So we knew we had to be bang at it in every position. And that's all I ask. 

"Today we had a team full of guys that were really hungry and a lot of desire to play for the shirt, play for the club and play for their position.

"And I think we deserved three points." 

Highlights Hereford v Hednesford

Highlights from yesterday's game at Edgar Street.

These are the Hednesford version.

To watch:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta7K3GdlTmE  

Yesterday In The National North League

This review from NL's Sam Elliott:

The Enterprise National League North returned after the FA Cup break.

Hereford have been replaced at the top of the North after the leaders lost at home to an Aaron Jarvis-inspired Hednesford Town and Macclesfield produced a miracle comeback.

After South Shields went 3-1 up at Moss Rose, it looked to be a tough afternoon but the Silkmen shone in the second half and Danny Elliott secured a wonderful win - and there was good news from elsewhere meaning they return to the Enterprise National League North summit.

But some of the chasers did win, Oxford City overpowered Hebburn Town 3-0, while Kofi Moore scored a late winner for Chester against Bedford Town.

New Radcliffe manager Grant Shenton started with a stylish 4-1 win over Scarborough Athletic.

Morecambe were defeated 2-1 at Worksop, Oliver Greaves scored what turned out to be the winning goal.

King’s Lynn continued their strong start as Buxton were beaten. Elsewhere there were great wins for Chorley, Marine, Harborough and Brackley Town.

Brackley 2 Spennymoor 1

Chester 1 Bedford 0

Chorley 2 Telford 1

Darlington 1 Merthyr 1

Harborough 1 Southport 0

Hebburn 0 Oxford City 3

Hereford 0 Hednesford 1

Kings Lynn 1 Buxton 0

Macclesfield 4 South Shields 3

Marine 1 Spalding 0

Radcliffe 4 Scarborough 1

Worksop 2 Morecambe 1  

Lottery Win Boosts Longlevens FC

A £1 millon lottery win has boosted the bank balance of Longlevens FC who play in the Hellenic League Premier Division and are based near Gloucester.

Their club president Bill Davis has been buying the same numbers for over thirty years.

Last month Davis landed the big prize. 

He told the Telegraph:  

 “This is Longlevens AFC’s win. I’ve been playing Lotto for decades as a member of the club, not as an individual, and I couldn’t be happier.

"The club has been such a huge part of my life for around half a century, and I can’t think of a better use for this money than helping secure its future for generations to come.

“When the National Lottery first started, six committee members each picked a number.

“Some of those friends are sadly no longer with us, but we’ve kept playing that same line in every draw ever since. It’s incredible to think that after all these years, those numbers have finally come good.”

The club are hoping to purchase its ground which is currently leased.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we want to make sure every pound delivers lasting benefits,” Mr Davis said.

“The club is important to so many people, so we’re taking a long-term view about how this money can help safeguard Longlevens AFC for many years to come.”

In September 2024 Hereford Women played Longevens in FA Cup Second Qualifying Round at Edgar Street and beat them 4-0.

Match Report: Hereford FC 0-1 Hednesford Town

Man of the Match Cawley Cox 

Hereford FC v Hednesford Town in the Enterprise National League North.

Following the late draw at Bedford Town a fortnight ago the Bulls returned to the MandM Edgar Street Stadium to face newly promoted Hednesford Town.

After the draw at the Eyrie Stadium and the two week hiatus it allowed the returning Joe Willis and Fin Holmes to get more recovery time from their respective injuries to take their places on the bench along with Notts County loanee Kameron Muir following his cameo appearance off the bench in the second-half at Bedford. The only change came in attack with Cawley Cox taking the place of Danny Waldron whilst Ex-Bull Ahkeem Rose started for the Pitmen but Omari Stirling-James was absent following international duty with St Kitts and Nevis.

The Pitmen started on the front foot with a free-kick near the left hand touchline which was played into the box by Jamie Cooke onto the head of Aaron Jarvis who was free could only direct his header over the bar from close range.

Hereford had the first corner of the contest which was played short between Billy Phillips and Luke Spokes before the latter blasted high over from the right hand side of the box.

There was then a sequence of soft yellow cards given by referee Harry Warner to both Cawley Cox and Kyle Howkins after a passage of scrappy play.

On 18 minutes the visitors opened the scoring, a long ball was flicked on by new signing from Scunthorpe United Danny Whitehall before it was allowed to bounce on through to Jarvis who raced clear of Howkins and Will Merrett before smashing past Theo Richardson via a slight deflection.

Hereford responded with a free-kick by Spokes which was blocked by the wall before coming back to him and laying off to Kam Kandola who's thunderous drive was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Hednesford's Manchester United loanee keeper Will Murdock.

A scare for the Bulls was narrowly avoided after Joseph James attempted to play the ball back to Will Merrett but the Forest Green loanee wasn't aware that Whitehall was behind him which allowed the forward to nip in before seeing Richardson off his line and attempting to chip the ball over the Hereford No.1 who managed to scramble back in the nick of time to tip the ball over the bar.

Rose then found space on the right before firing into the gloves of Richardson from a tight angle before he had another go from a similar position but shanked his effort wide.

Ahkeem Rose Watched By Cawley Cox

On 35 minutes Phillips tried his luck from 30-yards but it whistled high over the crossbar.

Shortly before half-time a cheap free-kick was conceded by Skinner after a push on Whitehall near the right corner flag, Rose floated the ball into the danger zone which didn't come to anything and the visitors saw the rest of the half out to take a slender lead into the interval.

Half-time: Hereford FC 0-1 Hednesford Town 

At the break Hereford made a change with Preston Bitemo making way for Harry Tustin.

A lapse of concentration at the back between Howkins and Merrett allowed Whitehall to pick up a loose ball but his lofted shot was safely into the clutches of Richardson.

Hereford almost equalised when Skinner did well on the left flank, fizzed the ball towards the front post where Iwunze’s flicked effort brought an instinctive point-blank save out of Murdock tipping the ball over the crossbar.

Hednesford with the lead started to sit further back with Hereford pinning them in their own half before they were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position but Whitehall drove his curler over the bar.

The Bulls continued to push in search of an equaliser but we're unable to break the visitors down before Holmes made his return from injury in place of Cox on 72 minutes.

Finn Holmes

With only two minutes of additional time announced Richardson was afforded the opportunity to advance into the visitors half but his lofted ball into the box evaded a white shirt and Hednesford saw the remainder of the game to inflict the first home defeat of the season on Hereford.

Full-time: Hereford FC 0-1 Hednesford Town

Hereford FC:- 1. Theo Richardson, 2. Aaron Skinner, 4. Kam Kandola ©️, 5. Will Merrett, 9. Cawley Cox, 14. Luke Spokes, 17. Joseph James, 19. Harrison Iwunze, 20. Preston Bitemo, 23. Billy Phillips, 28. Kyle Howkins.

Substitutes:- 6. Joe Willis, 8. Harry Tustin, 10. Danny Waldron, 11. Fin Holmes, 18. Liam Roberts, 21. Ollie Lewis, 30. Kameron Muir.

Attendance 4087 (382 away)

The Pitmen inflict the first home defeat of the season on the Bulls which sees us drop to second in the table. Granted the referee Harry Warner didn't give us much but we lacked the cutting edge to break down a stubborn Hednesford side.

There's another break for a fortnight with the Morecambe trip next Saturday postponed following their progression into the Emirates FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round meaning the Bulls travel to the Leasing.com Stadium next to take on Macclesfield FC in a top of the table clash. COYW

Words: Sam Cummins

Behind Doors Friendly Next Saturday

It's been confirmed by manager Aaron Downes that Hereford will play have a friendly next Saturday.

Their game at Morecambe has been postponed as the home team have a FA Cup Tie. 

Hereford were hoping to have arranged a League game instead but none of the clubs approached were interested. 

So there will be a behind closed doors friendly at Edgar Street. Whom Hereford will play against has not yet been revealed. 

No Water On The Pitch Pre-Kick-Off

Unlike most recent home games at Edgar Street, no water was put on the pitch before the start of today's game against Hednesford.

From the top of the Main Stand the pitch appeared to look on the dry side.

And before kick-off manager Aaron Downes was seen talking to groundsman Ben Bowen.

After it was revealed by a director that there was a fault with the sprinkler system.

Whether had the pitch been watered close to kick-off the result would have been been different we will never know. 

Before Kick-Off Against Hednesford This Afternoon

A great crowd and a great atmosphere greeted the players onto the pitch.