Northampton Saints: Impressive £21.96m revenue, despite pre-tax deficit of £1.1m

Northampton Saints Announce Record Turnover Despite Challenges in the Game

In a surprising turn of events, Northampton Saints have revealed a remarkable record turnover of £21.96m in their annual report for the year ending June 2023. However, this achievement comes with an overall loss before tax of £1.1m after enjoying a profitable period of £0.3m in the previous twelve months.

The rugby club remains positive despite challenges faced by other teams like Worcester Warriors, Wasps, and London Irish going into administration. Moreover, ticket revenue managed to increase even amidst disruptions to the fixtures schedule.

“The financial year 2022-23 presented new hurdles that we had to overcome as Northampton Saints – and also for Premiership Rugby as a whole,” stated chairman John White confidently.

Rugby Union has long been criticized for its unsustainable financial model according to a parliamentary report released earlier this year in January. Former Northampton and England lock Martin Bayfield further emphasized the sport’s perpetual struggle since turning professional back in 1995.

However, White firmly believes that they are well-positioned despite these challenges: “We are confident about our future plans due to our track record of responsible financial management.” Nonetheless, he acknowledges the importance of continued support from their fans and partners while aiming towards becoming cash-generative soon.

To offset potential losses caused by canceled home Premiership fixtures due to other clubs’ financial troubles, Northampton quickly organized friendlies against Barbarians along with additional home and away derbies against rivals Leicester in April.

“Thanks to our strong commercial performance and ability to adapt by staging these additional fixtures, we managed to increase our turnover considerably for the 2022-23 season,” added White. This achievement surpassed their previous record of £20.8m set the year before.

Despite reporting a loss before tax of £1.1m compared to a profit of £0.3m from the previous year, once adjusted for one-off items that boosted profits in 2021-22, Northampton Saints did manage an underlying trading loss improvement by £0.2m.

In terms of their current standing in the Premiership, Northampton sits at sixth place after reaching the playoffs in the two prior seasons but falling short against eventual champions Leicester and Saracens.