We made a £4m loss gaining promotion last year

[markscfc72]

ah well it was all worth it eh!

www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/stokecity/Stoke-City-4m-gamble-win-Premier-promotion-jackpot/article-502151-detail/article.html

[Deleted]

You’ve gotta look at the bigger (much bigger) picture……..you’ve gotta speculate to accumulate…….he who dares Rodders, he who dares…..this time next year we’ll be…..

[Lakeland Potter]

"a stable debt of £2.314 million" If that is true most clubs in the Prem would die for debt that low.

[sheikh al dubai bin stokie]

interesting to see the figures this time next year -

TV revenue - UP
Merchandise Revenue - UP
ST / Gate Revenue - UP

but also

Wages - UP
Transfer Fees - UP

i wonder what the net figure will look like

[surreystokie]

It's easy to enjoy debt, Mark, if not from your own pocket.

It's incredible that it's so low, if, as I understand it, it includes the purchase of the Brit. Three cheers for the head honcho!

[Lakeland Potter]

Monica, I still wish we could see a little more detail on how the club's finances are managed. With the reported purchases and losses you'd expect the debt to be higher. Presumably Coates and/or Coates' company has taken over some of the debt (by a charge on some of the assets?) so only a small percentage of the debt appears in the accounts.

That's isn't necessarily bad - but I'd still like to know just what happens to the assets if the club's fortunes take a downturn in the future. I must emphasise I am not accusing anyone of any wrong doing but I really would love it if the accounts and the financial practices surrounding the club were a little less "opaque".

Where is Andy Har when you need him? I think I'll send him a PM with this thread linked to it.

[knowingeye]

The relatively low trading loss will be more than be made up for with the balance sheet and assets now shown as part of the company, if they are part of the company (or group), that is. Also the club debts will no doubt be underwritten by individuals or against the fixed assets. A fine position to be in with a much increased overall valuation, but the next few weeks will require more player investment, as Peter Coates says to maintain the Premier League status. Interesting times, indeed.

[Bick]

your not a big club if you don't have debt. Thats how it seems to work.

[Done it for scfcbuxton]

If UEFA bring in this rule about teams with massive debts being barred from Europe then we could be in the Champions League next season.

[Deleted]

Not much in the sentiVale article adds up, does it?!

Income £11m - operating expenses £21m ... loss of £4m. Means we would have needed £6m in net transfer income. Higgy was £3m, but hoof and dazza weren't £3m between them, were they?

Accounts are to be presented to the AGM soon, so I'll have a butchers (tomorrow) to see if they are up on the Companies House website.


Stadium: It was my understanding that the stadium was to be purchased by the holding company and not the club, but the accounts should give us the answer to that. If the plan was carried out in that way, then that would explain why the debt is so small (I also wonder if the small debt does not include loans from the holding company, but bank debt only?).

ah

[followyoudown]

Operating expenses are up £9.5m yet wages are only up £6.5m which leaves £3m unexplained - the purchase of the Britannia and training facilities would be treated as capital expenditure so wouldn't contribute to this increase except for possibly legal fees involved in the purchase and any amounts charged as depreciation.

I've never seen the question answered as to who actually owns the ground now is it Bet 365, a Bet 365 holding company or Stoke City FC so perhaps some of this £3m relates to increased rent for the Britannia or interest on loans made to Stoke City by the company Coates used to buy Stoke.

[mumf14]

I'm guessing...but I reckon its Peter Coates..aka St Peter.

[whelan_6]

long live st peter.just think how much the players are worth now compared to what tp paid for them.fuller 4-5 mill,shawcross 2-3,ab faye 3,lawrence 1.5...etc

[jcscfc]

What about the 'promotion bonus' the icelandicks recieved.

3 million was nt it?

[Deleted]

On the basis that one season in the prem is allegedly worth up to/ around £60m comprised of:-

£30m TV revenues +£10m additional 'other sponsors & advertising' + corporates and then, two years of parachute payments @£12m / year (even if you are relegated).

it looks like damn good business to me !

Peter Coates involved by any chance ?

And - whose to saynow, that he didnt plan ALL this when he sold out to the Icelanders and maintained the golden share ??

cunning bastard !

[spiderpuss]

don't forget his own company also has an improved spotlight too...overall a good year all round!

[surreystokie]

Andy, it would be much easier if we were shareholders (as promised) and could ask questions. And there are still some Stokies who wonder why we want to be.

[Deleted]

Yes it would, Monica. Though if GS et al are attending the AGM (as usual) then questions will probably be asked in any case - Some interesting ones to table this time.


Stoke City FC Ltd Accounts to 31/05/08 are not yet online. They are due (latest file date) by 31/03/09. My guess is they will be on in January once the AGM is out of the way (one or two supporters normally get to attend this agm).

Stoke City Holdings Ltd (The Coates Family company that owns the club) Accounts to 31/05/08 are not yet online. They are due (latest file date) by 31/03/09. My guess is they will be on in January once that AGM is out of the way (we do not get to attend this agm).


There is a new (to me) company: STOKE CITY (PROPERTY) LIMITED accounts should have been online 31/01/2008 but are (long) overdue. The company has had two name changes:

04/09/1996 KEELEX 213 LIMITED
10/01/2008 STOKE-ON-TRENT COMMUNITY STADIUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED

One wonders if this is the entity that owns the stadium/mich?
It is possible accounts have not been filed because the entity did not carry out any trading in the year to 31/03/07 (and note the different year end to the two companies above).

The company says it carries on business in: Development & sell real estate



ah

[Lakeland Potter]

Cheers for that Andy.

Let's hope that GS does indeed attend the AGM as usual (does he like Monica attend as a proxy for a small shareholder?) and after being briefed in the light of your comments, does ask relevant questions.

As Monica says, life would be much simpler if fans were allowed to buy even small amounts of shares. Although, presumably, those shares (in Stoke City FC) would only give the right to information about the dealings of Stoke City FC and not necessarily the right to any more information about Stoke City Holdings and Stoke City (Property) than the almost NIL information we have at present?

One of the things that has pissed me off over the years and is still as bad as ever it was, is that the Sentinel seems to have no interest in asking these sorts of questions. For year after year the Sentinel's "report" on the annual accounts and the AGM gives its readers the square root of bugger all when it comes to hard information. One thing I miss since I moved north is a paper like the Western Morning News down in Devon and Cornwall which actually did proper investigative reporting even though it was a regional not a national news paper.

[JoeinOz]

One thing I miss since I moved north is a paper like the Western Morning News down in Devon and Cornwall which actually did proper investigative reporting

Yeah but come on! Devon and Cornwall ferfuxache!! Investigative journalism about afternoon tea in Mrs Miggins conservatory!! ;D Rock the system!!

[Lakeland Potter]

I take your point Joe - but I was thinking more about the investigative stuff they did on both civil and military nuclear facilities of which there are dozens in the South West. Although the cream tea investigations were also important! ;D

[mcf]

Can't you lot do with season tickets rather than shares?

If we follow Monica's old roadmap we will end up like Charlton

[Menorca Stokie]

I have it from a reliable source that when the directors negociated the purchase of the Brit from the council they didn't come up with the monies. They've now re-negotiated to pay the money in installments over several years.

Oh how clever you are Peter.

[stokelad84]

St Peter is a crafty business man! So not suprising he knows a few tricks of the trade so save a few quid!!