Southampton FC losses lessen to £13.7million but Covid restrictions leave their mark on club's financial results

By Stephen Emerson

21 March 2022

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Credit: Southampton FC

Southampton FC have announced a loss for 2021 with Covid restrictions hindering the club's financial progress.

The St Mary's club released their results on Sunday which show pre-interest and tax loss of £13.7million which is a marked drop compared to the 2020 season which saw losses of £73.3million.

The club's accounts also show an interest in turnover from £126.6million to £157.2million however this was due to postponed games from 2020 being played in the 2021 financial calendar year.

The statement shows a drop in operating costs from £150,629,000 in 2020 to £143,062,000 in 2021 which suggests a focus on cost reduction at the club.

Shrewd moves in the transfer market have also had a positive impact on the club's results with The Saints having a net transfer spend of £30,317,000 in 2021 compared to £49,781,000 in 2020.

Southampton FC sold Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg to Tottenham Hotspur, Harrison Reed to Fulham and Christoph Klarer to Fortuna Dusseldorf in this period while also bringing in Kyle Walker-Peters, Mohammed Salisu and Ibrahima Diallo.

A statement from the opening statement of the club's accounts read:

"The 2020/21 season, and as a consequence the Group's financial performance, was significantly impacted by the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic .

"The measures imposed by the Government required 84% of the Club's Premier League matches to be played behind closed doors, which significantly impacted the Club's ability to generate commercial revenue.

"From a sporting perspective, the first team experienced a mixed season. A promising start saw the Club briefly at the top of the Premier League, however, results in the second half of the season were impacted by an unusually high number of injuries to the playing squad, culminating in a 15th placed finish.

"However, the Club enjoyed another strong showing in the FA Cup, losing in the semi-final to the eventual winners."

Southampton was acquired by Sport Republic Ltd and Katharina Liebherr from Lander Sports lnternational lnvestment in December 2021.

By Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset.

Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users.

He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.