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The grim financial reality of football’s lower leagues: How League One Accrington Stanley made just £2.99 profit by staging their FA Cup second round match with Barnet
- Accrington’s managing director tweeted a financial breakdown of the tie
- Showed that 1,532 paying viewers contributed £9,771.66 after VAT was deducted
- But Stanley then had to pay for administration, light bulbs, and medical costs.
- They also had to contribute more than £5,000 towards Barnet’s travel and hotel expenses.
- That left a huge total win of just £5.99, which had to be split with Barnet.
Accrington Stanley’s managing director has revealed how the League One club made a paltry £2.99 profit from an FA Cup tie this season.
In a stark illustration of the reality of lower league life, David Burgess tweeted a breakdown of money won and money paid for Stanley’s second-round tie against Barnet in November.
It showed that 1,532 paying spectators passed through the turnstiles at Accrington’s Wham Stadium that afternoon for the visiting National League team, taking £11,016.
Accrington Stanley’s managing director revealed they made a profit of just £2.99 from an FA Cup second round tie against Barnet in November.
David Burgess tweeted a breakdown of Stanley’s income and expenses from the cup tie
In addition, Stanley earned £710 from 71 guests paying £10 each for executive packages at his 1968 salon.
That brings the total to £11,726, or when VAT is deducted, £9,771.66.
The second page shows the payments Stanley had to make of that amount. Porters and butlers were paid £4,154.37, £75 for the use of spotlights and £400 to ensure medical care.
Under the FA Cup rules and regulations, visiting teams are entitled to claim travel and hotel accommodation costs from the host club.
Barnet did so, with £2,300 allocated for his travel expenses and £2,836.30 for hotel rooms for his players and staff.
The front page showed how much Accrington earned from gate receipts for the FA Cup tie
But the second page showed how Barnet’s travel and hotel expenses, plus other expenses, decimated all income. Also, the leftover £5.99 had to be shared with Barnet
That left a ‘balance for distribution’ amounting to just £5.99.
The rules state that before the third round of the FA Cup, the net gate receipts are divided equally between the two clubs.
That meant Barnet was entitled to half of that £5.99, not to mention £5,139.30 in expenses, leaving Accrington with a final profit of just £2.99.
Burgess tweeted: “For clarity: FA Cup R2 gate receipts… @ASFCofficial got a total of £2.99 after all costs – ticket prices £10 or less and no police charges…”
Action from the FA Cup second round tie in November, which Accrington won 1–0
Accrington players applaud fans after drawing 1-1 with Boreham Wood in the third round
Fortunately, thanks to Ethan Hamilton’s 84th-minute match-winner, they received £67,000 in prize money.
Their reward was an away draw at another National League club, Boreham Wood, in the third round which ended in a 1–1 draw.
The replay at Wham Stadium was scheduled to take place on Tuesday night but was postponed due to an unplayable pitch.
Stanley are 19th in League One, one point above the relegation zone, and have the second lowest average attendance at 3,276, with only Forest Green 3,042 fewer this season.