Revenues and crowds up at Bolton Wanderers, but so are losses
Bolton Wanderers Football Club has reported increased revenues in the financial year ending 30 June 2024 for the third season in succession, but has also seen losses double, and is as dependent on its owners for funding as it ever.
Turnover through parent company Football Ventures (Whites) Limited) has seen revenue climb from £19.4m to £21.3m during that period, representing a 10% rise. The Club’s primary income streams – commercial, matchday and broadcast, all saw continued growth.
Group losses for the period were reported at £11.2m, up from the reported loss of £5.461m in 2023.
This is the fifth year of trading after a takeover acquired the assets out of administration in the financial year ending 30 June 2020 after the disastrous ownership of the club by Ken Anderson.
Wanderers finished 5th and reached the League 1 Play-Off Semi-Final losing to Oxford United but the average home attendance of 21,022 supporters was an increase on the previous season average of 18,814.
However, next season’s accounts will also have to include provision for the sacking of manager Ian Evatt. Currently Wanderers lie in sixth place in League One, with just six games remaining, and are 15 points behind Hollywood-backed Wrexham in second.
Chairman Sharon Brittan said: “While the 2023/24 season ultimately ended with disappointment on the pitch, it was undeniably a season of continued progress and growth.
“The Board and I are incredibly grateful to all our supporters, sponsors, partners, stakeholders and colleagues for their continued support on this journey. Importantly, our shareholders remain fully committed to providing the necessary funding to support our ambitions.”
The accounts also reveal that in February 2025, a further 420,843 ‘A’ Ordinary shares worth £1,499,999 were bought by Sharon Brittan and a further 140,281 of the same class of shares were issued to Michael James for £499,997.
Last year the group of Geneva-based oil traders who backed the rescue in 2019 saw their shareholding in Bolton Wanderers Football Club “drift up” to between 25% to 35% of the League One club.
Described in the last set of published accounts as “the Swiss consortium” the investors are part of an entity called BMLL Limited, led by Ben Luckock, global head of oil at trading house Trafigura Group, and the brother of Nick Luckock, who led the rescue of the Whites in 2019.
He backed his brother two years ago, and the previous accounts of Football Ventures (Whites) Limited revealed that on 31 January 2022 the shareholders agreed to issue 118, 738 shares for a total cash value of £775,000 from BMLL.
