A BEAMING Pat Cluskey paid tribute to Chester FC’s ‘phenomenal’ supporters after the club posted an impressive six-figure profit from its first season.
The Blues chief executive believes fan power was one of the key factors behind the club being £107,626 in the black at the end of its memorable maiden campaign.
Accounts released yesterday reveal £356,038 of the club’s £818,471 turnover for 2010-11 – 43% – came through ticket sales.
The club originally budgeted for a break-even crowd of 1,100 in their debut season but in the end the average gate was actually more than double that at 2,383.
Cluskey said: “For any sports business to make a profit nowadays is an achievement – but for a sports business to do it in its first year is a fantastic achievement.
“The figures that stand out for me are the season ticket sales and the matchday figures because they show how the people of Chester and the surrounding areas have backed the club.
“Around £350,000 came from fans actually paying to come and watch the football team. Then you look further down the list and they have also spent nearly £100,000 on merchandise – it’s phenomenal.”
The pre-tax profit is shown in the annual accounts which have been sent out to City Fans United members in readiness for Chester’s AGM on November 24.
The accounts also reveal the club brought in £96,464 through the club shop, £89,889 through commercial revenue and £89,077 through the bar and restaurant at the Exacta Stadium.
The biggest outgoing was the £298,975 the club spent on wages, which accounted for 36% of its turnover.
The Blues had £96,087 in the bank at the end of May and Cluskey says that cash is being used to improve the club both on and off the pitch.
Cluskey added: “It’s very pleasing but what we’ve got to be careful for is the infamous second season syndrome.
“We had a board meeting on Monday when we looked at the accounts for the current season.
“Again we are making a profit, but the economic climate is such we’ve got to be careful that we don’t get carried away.
“We’ve got to make sure we manage the budgets throughout the business accordingly as there can be various pitfalls, such as if we lose games to the weather or as could be the case next month, we progress in the FA Trophy and are drawn away on December 10.
“That would mean us having just one game in the month, which would have an impact on our Christmas merchandise as a lot of people would not be coming to the stadium.
“It’s therefore down to the financial planning of the board to ensure we continue to have plans in place.”
