"We're looking at roughly a million pounds of lost revenue" - Tom Piatak
25 July 2025
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There were warnings throughout last season from the club about the financial impact of relegation, should the worst happen, and chairman Tom Piatak confirmed the size of the black hole when he spoke with the London Branch on Thursday night.
“It certainly has an impact if I look at the various revenue streams that were coming in,” he said. “To try to quantify it, I would say probably roughly a million pounds a season.
“The revenue sources, we have consultants in place on the commercial side, GSW is in there working away, and that is definitely proving fruitful in terms of additional sponsorships, additional marketing, hospitality and things like that.
“We’re certainly not going to bridge that gap but to me it’s important for the long-term sustainability of the club. So, we have those things going on.
“We're taking a very close look at it. The majority of the budget is probably the player and coach costs. We have a budget there that we're looking at and trying to adhere to in the best way we can, but I'll say at the same time promotion is the goal.
“That means if there's a budget issue and there's a, ‘we need this for promotion’, type situation it's probably going to get approved.
“But I would also say we're looking at roughly a million pounds of lost income, and as an ownership group we were aware of that as we were going through the process, and we're willing to fund that.
“We're planning for that. But just so it's very clear – our long-term plans and visions for the club have not changed. Our commitment to the club has not changed in any way shape or form.
“The financials have changed a little bit. Most of that will probably be on our shoulders. Anything that we can't look at through efficiencies or through additional sponsorships, hospitalities and things of that nature, which we have programmes going on for, will be funded by the ownership group.”
With player costs highlighted as a major factor, we wondered if there are any concerns about the size of the squad and the consequences a high number has on the wage bill?
“To be honest with you, I'm not concerned about it at all,” he insisted. “Mark [Hughes] has said that the squad was too heavy, and I think the majority of us probably agree with him.
“We did what we had to do to try to stay up last season, but the squad is too heavy. He has an idea in mind of what he wants for that squad size, and that's been laid out in the squad planning document.
“I guess the key right now is getting the players in that weed. That’s critical. It’s finding the players we need to fill the holes, the likes of Regan Linney and Morgan Feeney - to fill the holes and get them in.
“That's our number one priority right now. As the squad develops and as the squad plays, and as playing time starts to become more evident, I think it'll be clearer as to what players may want to move on. And there's plenty of time for that to happen.
“There’s a plan in place to get to a number that Mark has said, Mark and Marc Tierney, this is the right number. It's just the departures are a little bit in the later stages here versus the front side. I think we'll get there, and I'm not concerned about it.”
Another area to muddy the financial waters has been the recent contrasting reports and comments made about the inclusion of relegation clauses in player contracts.
“I would say in every contract negotiation we do, the promotion and the relegation clauses are included,” he confirmed. “If for any reason in the January window, if there was like maybe a specific contract where that could have been a stumbling block, there were other parameters put into the contract to protect the club, and things of that nature.
“But from a management standpoint, every contract that has been reviewed has been done for if we go up, if we go down. The financial stability of the club is absolutely critical.
“There may have been one, but like I said, other parameters would have been put in the contract to do adjustments and take care of that. That’s another area I'm not concerned about at all.
“The relegation clauses are in there. The club is sufficiently protected. Going from the league to the National League has other financial ramifications as well that which we're addressing at the same time. But the contract is not an issue at all.”
Addressing the interview with former Blue Sam Lavelle specifically, he said: “I don't know what conversations are going on in the dressing room – a word here, a word there, and suddenly it blows up that maybe, hey, everybody has this or that.
“Every contract is with that player, every contract is specific for them. The club is fully aware of the ramifications of not having a promotion clause or a relegation clause in there. That’s why in every contract it’s addressed as a critical piece of that contract.
“It's always pushed to have that in there. But if for any reason there was one or two that there was something that maybe may have prevented it, we put other necessary clauses in the contract to protect the club. And I'm fully confident that we have no issues in that area.”
With season ticket sales at record levels and attendances more than holding up it isn’t all bad news on the finance and revenue front for the Cumbrians.
“Big crowds help in so many ways,” Tom told the meeting. “We felt it at the Salford match, to have 8,200 in the stands when we were already relegated - I mean that was a statement from the supporters and it was certainly heard.
“Because they didn't have to be there, we're already relegated and they didn't have to be there, but they showed up and they supported the club and, if anything, that made our commitment just so much stronger.
“Our goal is we want to move to League Two, then League One, and push for the Championship, so we need stronger gates. But before we get there, we've got to get a winning product on the field.
“The supporters have been absolutely fantastic, I can’t ask anything more of them, but if we could get 10-12,000 that would be huge and make a significant dent in the deficit. I would love to see that happen because supporters and new supporters really want to come to the ground.
“I want to see people coming because they want to be there. They want to be in at the ground and say it's not about ‘let me help shore up the shortcoming of revenue’. It's more if we can get them there saying ‘I want to be there’ because it’s the place to be.
“It’s because you can take your family to the fan zones and because there's a lot to do at the ground and they enjoy it. If we can push that number up that's ultimately my goal.
“I would love to see 16,000 in that stadium and just a rocking crowd, and I'd love to see the opposition squad show up and just say, hey, what have we got ourselves into? I mean, how are we going to play here?
“That's certainly the goal and any ticket sale will help that, and it's greatly appreciated.”
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