Tony Bloom issues statement as Brighton release staggering financial figures

Albion, who are seventh in the Premier League and targeting European qualification, released their figures for the 2021-22 season and, according to chairman Tony Bloom, it’s 'really encouraging' reading.

They returned to the black for the first time since they were promoted to the top flight in 2018 with a profit of £24.1m. It’s an impressive turnaround from the previous year where the club had operated at a loss of £50.4m.

Bloom, who has invested more than £400m of his money into the club, said: “Overall, these accounts show a good profit for the period, and this is really encouraging that in a season where we impressed on the field, we also delivered good results off it. Alongside our top-ten/top-four vision; we also want to be sustainable, so this is an encouraging set of results and bodes well for the future.”

Much of the financial success broke down to three key areas as fans returned to the stadium after Covid-19, player transfers and broadcast revenue.

Having the supporters back at the Amex was a huge boost to the club as matchday income was reported to be £20.6m – which is roughly £1m for each home fixture at the Amex Stadium.

It was also a year that saw Ben White join Arsenal for a hefty £50m and Dan Burn exit to Newcastle for £13m, while the club also received compensation from Newcastle as technical director Dan Ashworth departed. The figures do not however include the sales of Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella, Leo Trossard or compensation for Graham Potter’s departure, all of which were concluded after June 30, 2022 – the end date for these accounts.

They were also awarded an extra £14m last term for their record Premier League finish of ninth – compared to 16th for the previous year. Broadcast revenue continues to be a significant driver of income at £126.2m for the year, while total turnover for the period was up by 19.6 per cent to £174.5m, against £145.9m in 2020/21.

Deputy chairman and chief executive Paul Barber added, "These accounts make much better reading than the two previous seasons, in which we sustained overall losses of more than £110m. That took Tony’s investment over the £400m mark but this move to a profit is a small step towards the club becoming more sustainable and less reliant on the chairman’s generous levels of investment.

"I’m pleased to report that our matchday income has increased. We welcomed back full capacity crowds to the Amex, and overall our commercial revenues are much healthier than the previous two seasons. Broadcasting income saw an increase thanks to our ninth-place finish, and additional live broadcast games.

"As ever we are hugely grateful to Tony Bloom for his continued leadership, financial support and a high level of stability. We continue to progress under his chairmanship and ownership.”

Read also: Brighton transfers: 11 players likely to leave and 23 to stay as full 34-man squad assessed