'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Scotland‘s top football clubs are confident of enticing more profits in the near future, a leading consultant has told BBC.
Charles Barnett, professional sports group partner at BDO, a worldwide professional services network of public accountancy firms, said a large proportion of SPL clubs believed they would be profitable in the coming year.
He also noted that the revenues of SPL clubs had not been adversely affected by the loss of Rangers.
Trending
The BDO report, “A new dawn for fair play“, questioned the finance directors of 66 teams from leagues in Scotland and England, and it was noted that the SPL clubs were more optimistic in terms of predicting profitability than English Premier League clubs.
According to the report, in Scotland, 60% respondents said they would make a profit after player trading and depreciation, whereas in England’s top league the number was 42%.
Charles said, “After a year in which both Hearts and Dunfermline Athletic fell into administration it is welcome news that a large proportion of SPL clubs believe that they will be profitable in the coming year.”
He believes that there were optimistic signs that clubs were making an effort to control wage costs, but they still had some way to go.
He also said,”In actual wages, 20% said they would spend the same with 80% stating they will spend less, the fans never like this but it must be the way forward if Scottish football is to remain viable in the future.”
According to him the biggest financial pertinence for Scottish clubs over the next 12 months was falling attendances due to the current economic scenario and the potential fall in TV income being second.
He said, “There are clearly some deep-rooted difficulties in Scottish football which may take some years to work through, the excesses of the last decade or so are still working their way through the Scottish football sector.”
The research finally concluded that it was too early to predict the financial impact of the change in the structure of Scottish football to the SPFL, and he also stated that many clubs continued to exist on a “financial precipice” where an unexpected additional expense might push them over the edge.
