Seadogs lay out plans to tackle financial losses

Scarborough Athletic face a projected loss of about £150,000 for the upcoming season, the club has revealed.

The shortfall is as a result of being forced to play home games in Bridlington, after works to repair damage to their pitch and ground meant it would be out of action for about a year.

In a statement, the Seadogs' board said unknowns meant working out future revenues was "extremely difficult".

The National League North side's Sports Village home has been hit by "serious structural problems" but an expected repair bill of up to £3.2m would be covered by the council if talks with the original contractor failed.

The fan-owned club said it feared that attendances, which had increased from about 400 to 1400 over the last three seasons, would be affected by the forced move to Bridlington Town's Mounting Systems Stadium.

The loss of ticket revenue would also be aggravated by the loss of catering and hospitality income, which Bridlington Town would receive under the groundshare agreement.

The club, which football finance expert Kieran Maguire said generated an annual profit of about £80,000 last year, had created a fundraiser which has so far generated approximately £60k in expected funds.

This plus other donations had slashed the shortfall from an initial £250,000, the club said.

Mr Maguire said the loss of revenue under the groundshare was a "possible cause of concern" but added: "The club will need to maximise the revenue from every single item available".

Scarborough chairman Trevor Bull said the club was working on options to provide transport to games in Bridlington.

He confirmed the club was communicating with Network Rail and coach firm East Yorkshire Motor Services over a deal to supply discounted travel.

Mr Bull said if they could get more than 1,000 fans to games down the coast that would "help reduce the deficit further".

North Yorkshire Council and the original contractors remain in dialogue over when the work to repair the Scarborough Sports Village will begin.

There is currently no start date.

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