Exclusive: Football finance expert reacts to Rangers season-ticket sales during pandemic
Ibrox News recently conducted an exclusive interview with Football Finance expert Kieran Maguire, getting his views on the biggest talking points at Rangers this summer. Make sure to listen to the Price of Football podcast here.
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Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said that season ticket sales are “absolutely essential” for Rangers in a time when all clubs are struggling because of the Coronavirus outbreak.
By the deadline date for renewals at the end of June, Rangers had sold an astonishing 40,000 season tickets, despite no one knowing when fans will get back into Ibrox.
Games have been played behind closed doors in the Premiership for now, with Celtic and Aberdeen fixtures being postponed after highly irresponsible breaches of quarantine guidelines.
Talking exclusively to Ibrox News, Maguire said of these ticket sales: “They’re absolutely essential to Rangers.
“If you take a look at Rangers, I would probably say that they have the highest proportion of money coming through gate receipts of practically any club in the UK, in terms of top divisions.
“Last year, it was £32 million out of £53 million, so 60% of their income is coming from fans directly either through season ticket sales or match day sales. That compares to an average in the Premier League of 13%.
“So fans are incredibly committed to the club, they put their money where their mouth is and the club will benefit from the ticket sales themselves.
“What will be frustrating for the club will be the catering sales and the individual matchday purchases. Those won’t be taking place until we have some form of resumption, but I think the club no doubt will have budgeted for that, they will have looked at the different scenarios over the course of the next 12 months and will have planned accordingly.”
Despite constant rumours, all the current evidence points to Rangers being in a good financial state.
The fans are obviously playing a huge part here and the support given the current situation is staggering.
It’s also essential, as Maguire points out, to the continued success of the club under Steven Gerrard.
In other Rangers news, New boy Leon Balogun has started life at Rangers brilliantly – Ibrox View