Recalling how we seemed to rely on cup final money one one time and what poo that got us into eventually (along with other factors) I'm not necessarily laughing hard at this, but it does show the vital need for top-notch marketing and commercial arms at a club these days to get fans and their/sponsors money into the place irrespective of on-field success. Thank god we've got excellence in both areas:

:1kio98s4

[url:1kio98s4http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/08/25/st-helens-rugby-league-club-s-losses-spiral-as-it-waits-for-new-stadium-92534-27129723/[/url:1kio98s4Pre-tax losses doubled at St Helens Rugby Football Club last season as it struggled with a worsening commercial performance, delays to its new stadium and a failure to reach the lucrative Challenge Cup Final. It lost £862,000 in the year to October 2009, increasing from £449,000. Turnover fell for the third consecutive year, to £4.89m – down £1m since 2006. Losses total more than £1.7m in the last three years but the club expects at least two more years of significant losses before it moves into its new stadium ahead of the 2012 season. At October 31, 2009, it had net current liabilities of £2.23m.

The losses have continued to be funded by the directors of the club, which has appointed five new directors in the last 18 months. St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus attributed the rising losses to “reduced gate receipts as well as falls in merchandising, hospitality and lottery."

He said: “The fall in gate receipts was principally due to us not making the Challenge Cup Final in 2009 and the receipts for league games being down generally due to discounts and other incentives being offered in a recessionary environment.”'"

Wigan lost over £500K last year.

I thought Wigan's loss was more like £40,000.

My mate has had the accounts through and he said that the loss was £500K +

I thought the same as Ted. Not many clubs make money but smallish manageable losses with crowds on the up, increased income from merchandising etc and no dependance on getting to finals to stay out of the mire is a bit different from increasing losses that are expected to continue for the next few years.

If we're wrong on the figures, then apologies to Stains and

.

An £800,000 loss is not problematic to a club like St Helens. They've probably not benefited financially from the sale of their ground yet, and they have a chairman willing to put his hand in his pocket.

You can't run a sports club if it's not well funded one way or another.

On a loosely related note, an accountant mate of mine had a look at Man United's audited accounts last year, telling me that they made a £40m profit in the last financial year, but in that year, they had sold Cristano Ronaldo for £80m; his inference being that had they not sold him, then the club would have made a huge loss, making them look unattractive on the markets.

It's not missing out on finals that is screwing Saints, it's Knowsley Road.

Try getting decent sponsors in there whilst scrabbling to pay the latest in a long line of bills to make sure you can actually legally allow people into that dump to watch rugby.

p.s. the thing about Wigan losing £500k+ can't be true - xBrettKennyx keeps telling me that the salary cap is holding rich Wigan back.

Man United have bigger problems than that. The Glazers are ruining that club.

Did that include Gleeson's transfer fee?

Quite possibly, in fact it would.

Didn't Ian Lenagan say that if we made a final we would break even?

i'm sure he said it was going to be around 100k loss if we dont make a final.