Mild Rover wrote:Leeds have signed Tuimoala Lolohea for 2019–21.

Wilde 3 wrote:Sounded like the Josh Jones one could be for next year. With Talanoa, Paea, Mini and Manu all off contract, I think we need to be looking at some NZ, South Sea Islanders to refresh the side, but I think Jones will be here in 2020

Jake the Peg wrote:I see wire have signed blake austin on a reported £300k+ a year. saints have barba as a marquee player, wigan have 2 in tomkins and williams, leeds are an undoubted financial powerhouse (although uncle gary seems more intent on spending on the stadium than players but I expect that to change) but can we compete?

The lack of our own stadium and the lack of ability for us to generate much non match day and match day income leaves us behind clubs like saints, leeds and wire financially so what do we do? If we're run as a club who need to break even at worst then how do we generate enough to compete for top players or do we just accept we can't? For me, I would love to see a real star of the game in the B&W but I don't want to see the club at risk so unless things change with ownership of the stadium or the club I can't see it happening

Mild mannered Janitor wrote:Got to pick you up on a couple of things here. I'll use Leeds as an example.

The lack of our own Stadium - largely irrelevant to be honest. The maintenance cost / replacement cost alone make this more of a burden then a real asset.

Leeds Rhinos do not own Headingley and share it with the RU club. Its owned by YCCC.

Match day income usually correlated with bums on seats. Sadly, I am not sure what the missing FC fans want after 2 wembley wins, there are still around 2000 missing home fans from around 2010 / 2011 - when were were really poor and the recession had bitten hard.


Leeds have 4 large rooms which they use for corproate guests for meals / drinks pre & post game. Each of these room has approx 150-200 guests in. Work on the basis of £100 income per head (concervative est having seen personally how much some will then plough behind the bar / raffles / draws etc). There is an additional £60k per game.


Leeds also have a significant sponsor in the Leeds Building Society as well as a wealthy owner.


Given our merchanide sales are what they are, I am supprised you think we lack in non matchday income. So good are Hull at Generating sales of this nature, Leeds actually head hunter their commercial retain manager a few years ago (not sure if he is still there?)



Large profile sponsor, more corporate tables and more fans coming back throught the turnstyles.
Thats the answer.

ccs wrote:Caddick sold the cricket stadium to Yorkshire CCC in 2005.

Mild mannered Janitor wrote:

Given our merchanide sales are what they are, I am supprised you think we lack in non matchday income. So good are Hull at Generating sales of this nature, Leeds actually head hunter their commercial retain manager a few years ago (not sure if he is still there?)

Leigh_Manning wrote:I thought Caddick owned Leeds stadium, no way would YCCC be in a position to redevelop the rugby ground?

knockersbumpMKII wrote:As I said before, it's a big risk for AP to pay a big salary for a marquee player when there's no guarantee of you getting that money back, look at what happened with Warrington in 2005, they paid Johns and absolute shed load of money - reportedly £40k PER GAME, and we destroyed them in the play-offs and they won sod all. Yeah they might have put a few thou on the gate but even gross that was nowhere covering his fee.

Would we have taken Pritchard having to pay his full salary, no chance. Even despite the doggies paying a massive chunk of it the club only just broke even for the 2016 season despite winning at Wembley (Radford's own words early 2017 when asked about finances in interview for HDM).

I don't know the full ins and out of the costs for the KCOM but whilst owning your own ground is great in theory there is no way we had any alternate but to do a ground share. There was protection in the terms for the club from what I remember but absolutely it restricts income streams greatly, what the difference in income could be when you take into account paying interest on a huge loan to build a stadium plus all the annual costs if all up to the club would be difficult to work out because we certainly wouldn't be in a ground anything like the KCOM if we had gone it alone. I have no idea if it was even feasible to redevelop the Boulevard which given the numbers that drive to home games would have been a non starter in that respect.

AP is a businessman, he bought the club (using his and others money) to make money so the financial decisions/risks he makes are not the same as the likes of Ken Davey who is a benefactor and is obviously prepared to lose a heck of a lot of money every year.

Maybe we need the Allams to buy Pearson out if we are to have the clout to get some big names