Football clubs feel the cost of living crisis

The ongoing cost of living crisis has started to trickle down to the lower reaches of the footballing pyramid. Some clubs are being pushed to the brink of their finances, while others are searching for solutions to cut costs to run day to day activities.

Photo: jooin.com. 

By: Sam Feierabend.

Britain’s energy regulator in the past weeks has announced price hikes to bills in the coming months, but unlike domestic consumers, there is no price cap on businesses like pubs or football clubs. This means sky-high prices for places that have not got the financial turnover to sustainably last them for the future. One pub was seen on social media sharing their energy bill forecast for the next 12 months as £64,000; an increase from £6,000.

For football clubs, especially those at the lower end of the professional game, costs are piling up, and with the cold winter months setting in, using heat and light is crucial to the everyday running of the clubs. This can be coupled with the fact that Saturday 3pm kick offs end in darkness, then floodlights will be needed for a long period of time.

To offer some help to the issues, the Isthmian League, three leagues below the Football League, have offered clubs the chance to schedule kick off times earlier to save electricity by not using floodlights. This is a move that some clubs across the pyramid have shared, as running floodlights are one of the most expensive costs to a football club. Of course, financial strain is not felt as much at the upper echelons of the pyramid; Premier League clubs are already being questioned for turning on floodlights during 3pm matches – Manchester City switched their's on less than half an hour into their recent fixture against Crystal Palace.

The strain on some clubs may see changes to how they operate in the coming months to save energy. This may limit opening hours of clubs, including the hiring out of conference rooms, and offering some hospitality packages to fans as it simply is not worth the cost to run.

At a time where many focus on how much football clubs spend on players and wages, some may now turn to their owners not to sign the next big striker, but simply to keep the lights on for training.