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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
David Dubas-Fisher

Revealed: How lack of crowds could hit Nottingham Forest's finances

Nottingham Forest will resume their season a week on Saturday - but they will do so without the support of Reds fans in the stands.

After being suspended since March, the Championship campaign restarts on June 20, although all matches will take place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It means a lack of matchday revenue for clubs will continue for some time at least. And the Reds are among the second tier sides who have benefitted from it the most in the past.

Forest’s accounts for the period covering the 2018/19 season - the latest ones published - show they had a turnover of £25.34m.

Almost a third of that (30 percent) came from matchday income - a total of £7.59m.

Only one other club in the Championship last season had a higher percentage of their turnover from match days - Millwall, with 31 percent.

The absence of crowds at home games could cost Forest almost £1.5m this season alone.

The club played 26 home games in 2018/19, which suggests they earned an average of £291,731 in each one.

There are five home league games remaining this season, which works out at a loss of £1.46m.

Forest were already paying out more in wages than they earned, even with matchday income coming into the club.

The club’s wage bill came to £36.26m last season, according to the accounts. That works out at 143% of turnover in 2018/19.

Club // Turnover (£m) // Matchday (£m) // % from matchday

Millwall // 18.37 // 5.65 // 31%

Nottingham Forest // 25.34 // 7.59 // 30%

Norwich City // 33.70 // 9.70 // 29%

Sheffield United // 20.87 // 5.88 // 28%

Leeds United // 48.92 // 12.61 // 26%

Preston North End // 13.81 // 3.56 // 26%

Aston Villa // 54.26 // 12.75 // 23%

Reading // 21.05 // 4.73 // 22%

Blackburn Rovers // 16.67 // 3.73 // 22%

Brentford // 15.25 // 3.40 // 22%

Birmingham City // 23.33 // 5.16 // 22%

Bristol City // 30.25 // 5.99 // 20%

Wigan Athletic // 11.54 // 2.39 // 21%

Rotherham United // 13.94 // 2.58 // 19%

Queens Park Rangers // 34.57 // 5.39 // 16%

Hull City // 11.16 // 6.14 // 13%

Middlesbrough // 55.64 // 6.08 // 11%

West Bromwich Albion // 70.82 // 7.32 // 10%

Swansea City // 69.42 // 6.99 // 10%

Stoke City // 70.59 // 6.40 // 9%

Sheffield Wednesday // Accounts not available // //

Bolton Wanderers // Accounts not available // //

Derby County // Accounts not available // //

Ipswich Town // Accounts not available // //

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