Board Say Scarborough Athletic Face £250,000 Shortfall

Scarborough Athletic's board has welcomed a council plan to fix the pitch at Scarborough Sports Village as it warns of a quarter of a million pounds funding shortfall next season.

A meeting of the North Yorkshire Council Executive today formally agreed to make sure the necessary repairs to the pitch at the Scarborough Sports Village would be implemented in time for the 26/27 season even if that means the council having to fund the £3.2m repairs if discussions with the original contractors drag on.

The club's board have welcomed that decision saying

"This decision removes any uncertainty around the project and allows those involved to begin making arrangements for the work to commence. 

We appreciate that this is a significant financial commitment by the council to not only repair the substructure but also to install a FIFA Pro Plus pitch which we require to ensure we can maintain our league status.

We thank the council for this decision and we will continue our regular dialogue with them over the course of the project and keep all our stakeholders updated."

The problems with the Scarborough Sports village pitch mean that Boro look very unlikely to be able to play any home games there next season. The club have entered into a ground sharing arrangement with Bridlington Town which will see Boro play at the Mounting systems Stadium in Bridlington.

The clubs board of diresctors say that has a number of implications for the clubs finances. In a statement the board say:

"Over recent weeks we have been asked, as you would expect, for updates on our financial position. This is extremely difficult as our forecasting is impacted by so many unknowns. For example, three of the major impacts will be as follows…

What will our average attendance be? It’s fair to say that we are returning to Bridlington as a much bigger and better supported club than when we left 8 years ago but forecasting the attendance is still difficult. With the help of the Valley Bar Seadogs and the North Yorkshire Combined Authority we are looking to provide cost effective travel options, however until the season starts all we have is our best guess. 

On the plus side we can report that we have already sold 281 season tickets which does indicate a desire to travel through to Bridlington. 

Will our sponsors continue to be so generous? It’s pleasing to report that to date the majority are continuing their sponsorship. Our Commercial Manager and Directors are out and about meeting and communicating with all our sponsors to encourage them to stick with us. We can also report that we have attracted some new sponsors. 

How much will our “No Battle, No Victory” fund raise? To date we have 245 people that have signed up to the fund which over the next 12 months will raise circa £60,000. We will be leaving this fund open for new members to join as every donation makes a difference. If you would like to make a singular donation or commit to a different direct debit amount, get in touch and we can arrange this."

Despite the steps the club have already taken to sure up the financial position the directors say they are still facing a quarter of a million pounds shortfall in revenue in the coming season adding:

"Despite prudent budgeting, in recognition of temporary life away from our ground, we were still facing a difference between our expected income and expenses of £250,000.

This has been reduced by people’s commitment to the “No Battle, No Victory” fund and some generous donations. Taking our current funds raised into account and our present budget forecasting we are still looking at a shortfall of approximately £150,000, which is now our challenge. 

Back in 2020 when the Covid pandemic ended our season it created a cashflow issue for the club. To get us through we launched the “2020 Club” to raise some much-needed finances. This was an opportunity to purchase 10 years season tickets and trust membership in advance along with an annual matchday hospitality package.

We can now announce that we are now offering membership packages for the 2025 club at a cost of £5,000. If anyone would like more details, please either contact Rhiannon Hunt our Commercial Manager (rhiannon.hunt@scarboroughathletic.com) or talk to one of our directors. "

The club say that work to upgrade the Mounting Systems Stadium to the standard required for National League North football is progressing well. This week groundwork is underway in preparation for the new turnstiles and tarmac is being laid to improve some of the standing areas. The Scarborough board say

"We are on track for the work to be completed prior to the given deadline. "

Fans are also being reminded of an opportunity to see the team take on a different sporting challenge next week.

"Next week we have an opportunity to all get together and enjoy some sport. This time it’s cricket when on Thursday 26th June at 6.30pm we take on Scarborough Cricket Club at North Marine Road in a Twenty20 match. Come along and see how we get on as our footballers take on a different sport. The bar will be open and there will also be a barbecue so it should be a great evening. "