Thursday, January 29, 2015

How often do Relegated clubs go bankrupt?

Today on Twitter I was asked to write a post about another common refrain from those who are worried that an Open Pyramid that features Promotion and Relegation in the United States would some how deal the death blow to professional soccer in the United States... "but every team will go bankrupt when they are relegated".

So I did a bit of simple research on the English pyramids top three, EPL, Championship and League 1 divisions. Firstly I listed all 10 teams, three from both the EPL and Championship and 4 from League 1 that were relegated each of the last 5 years giving me a total of 50 relegated clubs. I then compared that list of clubs to a list of clubs that entered in to Administration (bankruptcy) that year to give me a list of clubs that we can assume with a high probability were caused to have went insolvent by being relegated.

Out of those 50 clubs relegated in the last 5 years only 3 times have they immediately entered in to administration. Those 3 times have only included 2 different clubs with Portsmouth accounting for 2 instances in 3 years. So in 6% of the total amount of relegated clubs have we observed a bankruptcy directly because of relegation in the top 3 levels of English soccer over the last 5 years.



Year
Premier League
Championship
League 1
Administration
2013/14
Norwich City, Fulham, Cardiff City
Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley, Yeovil Town
Stevenage, Shrewsbury Town, Carlisle United, Tranmere Rovers

2012/13
Queens Park Rangers
Reading
Wigan Athletic
Peterborough United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bristol City
Scunthorpe United, Bury, Hartlepool United, Portsmouth

2011/12
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Portsmouth, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers
Wycombe Wanderers, Chesterfield, Exeter City, Rochdale
Portsmouth
2010/11
West Ham United
Blackpool
Birmingham City
Preston North End, Scunthorpe United, Sheffield United
Dagenham and Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon Town
Plymouth Argyle
2009/10
Portsmouth
Burnley
Hull City
Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle, Peterborough United
Gillingham, Wycombe Wanderers, Southend United, Stockport County
Portsmouth


If we use these numbers as a comparison to MLS contraction over the last 5 years we will observe that this 6% number falls right in line with the 5.26% of clubs contracted over the same period of time without the financial hardship caused by relegation. The main difference between these two numbers is that both Portsmouth FC and Plymouth Argyle are still in existence while Chivas USA is not.

1 comment:

  1. The last time I watched Chivas they were called LAFC. It was clear when Chivas were contracted that they would be replaced. I support the most promoted and relegated team in the world. Since 1966 we have been on the verge of financial disaster 7 times. 6 times we were bailed out by benefactors. In 1967 by Jack Dunnett. In 1987 after successive relegations by Derek Pavis, under whom we quickly reached the top-flight. In 2003 a supporter donated £3.5 million which enabled the club to pay off its debts and for the supporters to take ownership. In 2009 we were taken over by fraudsters. After the milk van stopped delivering, the CEO put in a million of his own to keep us going. He sold the club to someone who claimed that he paid off £18 million in debt during his time at the club. After he lost interest someone who clearly couldn't afford it took over. Not only did he end up getting us relegated out of the Football League but his business went bankrupt because of the money diverted to the club. Finally he was bought out by foreign investors, just as it looked like we were done. My point is, I don't think the US has a tradition that would allow this to happen. More likely is that they would relocate a club or fold it and start elsewhere. By the way, you need to add Bolton and Bury to that list.

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