Attendances at Edgar Street this season are down 10% when compared with the final figures for last season. Currently the average gate is 2124. However last Saturday week just 1712 watched the game against Southport.
The figures are no surprise given that the club lie 17th in the National North League and have only won four home games out of fifteen so far this season. Perhaps as bad is that in those fifteen games the Bulls have scored just eighteen goals.
The data from https://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/divisions/2/ backs up Hereford chairman Andrew Graham's recent comments about the club's budget which he said 'had failed to deliver'.
The football budget which includes staff costs was said by BN to be around £700,000 this season. Last May former club director Mick Merrick went on record saying it had been increased by 40%.
In truth supporters may never find out what the budget was given the club board's decision not to release profit and loss accounts.
But whatever the correct figure one thing is certain, the football budget next season is likely to be less than this season unless some changes are made and that usually means either higher prices to watch and/or a crackdown on costs.
Consider that the turnover last season was £897,000 on gates of 2367 (and a profit of just £4,000), the previous season it was £988,770 on gates of 2553.
Given those figures and the fact that this season average gates are just 2124 it's reasonable to assume that turnover this season will be no more than £800,000. It might even be less if home gates continue to fall.
It's generally accepted that the wage/turnover ratio is around 65% for a non-league football club to be sustainable. So a turnover of £800,000 equates to a playing budget of £520,000. However in Hereford's case football manager/staff/travel costs etc are added on so perhaps £600,000 is a more realistic figure. That leaves £200,000 for everything else including all the other staff at the club and the running and upkeep of the stadium.
In essence the club board faces difficult decisions. Either they cut the football budget and/or they cut other costs at the club. Unless they decide to keep the budget at this season's level in which case they will have to dip into their reserves or else raise money probably through some sort of share issue which would be hard on HUST who haven't finished paying for their original shares as yet.