Latics caught in a financial trap

PARK LIFE: YOU DON’T have to be Alistair Darling, George Osborne or Vince Cable to understand Athletic’s bottom-line financial equation.

Fewer fans through the turnstiles equals less money to spend on players — it is as simple as that.

That is why Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy admitted this week that next season’s wage budget for players is likely to be cut.

Prior to the final home match of the season against Charlton, Athletic’s average crowd stands at just 4,582 — down over 1,000 for every match at Boundary Park last season.

Take the average cost of entry at £13 per person, multiply it by 23 matches, and you are looking at a loss of around £300,000.

Poor results from Athletic, a lack of goals, on-field entertainment and value for money, the recession and a dilapidated three-sided ground all go into the melting pot when discussing the fans steering clear of Boundary Park on a Saturday afternoon or Tuesday night.

But whatever the validity of each of those points of view, what can’t be argued against is that the lack of fans is hitting the club hard.

Athletic currently have the fourth-lowest average gate in Coca-Cola League One — only Stockport (4,294), Walsall (3,995) and Hartlepool (3,419) have done worse this season — and that represents a whopping fall of 19-per-cent when compared to the 5,636 average in 2008-09.

Last season, Athletic needed crowds of around 7,500 in order to break even, with the owners subsidising the operation to the tune of around £15,000 per week.

Add an extra third of a million quid on top of that and you get an impression of the strain on the club’s owners.

Low attendances have reflected disappointing fare on the field as goal-shy Athletic, who failed to find the net on 20 separate occasions, battled to save their League One skins.

Travelling costs have also played a big part in increasing pressure on tight finances, due to there being so many southern-based clubs in the division.

For the trip to Southampton last Tuesday, the squad travelled south and back in one brutally long day in order to save on hotel bills.

And the southern geographical bias has also had an adverse effect on the number of away fans travelling to Boundary Park.

Added to the mix is that three home matches — including what should have been a bumper Boxing Day gate due to the visit of Tranmere — have been rearranged for dark Tuesday nights due to bad weather.

The main hope of Athletic club officials is that the team’s better form of late will prompt fans to snap up season tickets.

The league table made up solely of results from this calendar year has Athletic in 11th spot on 27 points from 22 matches, behind promotion hopefuls Leeds only on goal difference.

There is more than a glimmer of light in that statistic, as there is when assessing the potential of young talent like Dale Stephens, Kieran Lee, Paul Black and Tom Eaves to name but a few.

With teams as go-ahead as MK Dons admitting that they, too, are cutting their wage budget for next season, Athletic are not alone in favouring financial prudence in a difficult environment.

For clubs of similar standing, as costs are cut the youth of tomorrow may find themselves growing up very quickly next season.