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Club News

Annual Accounts 2023/24.

08 Jun 2026BCW Media Team

Bristol City Holdings Limited made a pre-tax loss of £3.3m during the 2023/24 season.

The results for the year ending 30^th June 2024 compare strongly against a pre-tax loss of £22.2m for the 13-month financial period ending 30^th June 2023.

The reduction in loss was predominantly due to the sale of Alex Scott for a significant sum of money, although increases in both matchday and non-matchday revenue have assisted in improving the financial picture. Additionally, the reporting period for the 2023/24 season contained one less month than the prior period due to the decision made in the 2022/23 season to extend the year end date to 30^th June. This was a decision which was taken to better align with the financial reporting dates adhered to by the English Football League and the wider Bristol Sport Group.

The transfer of Scott to AFC Bournemouth in August 2023 was the driving force for the profit on disposal of players’ contracts rising to £21.7m, and is the largest reason for the club being able to operate comfortably within the EFL’s existing financial fair play regulations. The sale of Tommy Conway to Middlesbrough in August 2024 occurred after the end of the reporting period and will be included in the figures for the 2024/25 accounts.

The total revenue earned from ticketing in the 2023/24 season increased by 23 per cent on the prior year to £7.7m, as the club benefitted from strong season ticket sales and two sold-out home FA Cup fixtures against West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.

Staffing costs show a decrease when comparing against the prior period but actually display a like-for-like increase on the 2022/23 season when the additional month is taken into consideration. Whilst the playing budget remained largely static in the 2023/24 season, the costs associated with terminating the contracts of the former management team are situated within the staffing figures. Other operating expenses increased by £4.7m, but this is to be expected given the rise in total revenue of £5.8m seen during the 2023/24 season and includes the compensation fee paid to Oxford United for the current management team.

City Finance Director & Chief Operating Officer Tom Rawcliffe said: “It is encouraging to see the loss reduce so much over the past 12 months, although not being able to show a profit despite one of the club’s largest ever player sales highlights the unusual nature of the industry we operate within. The level of support received from our fans has been fantastic, with the average attendance of 22,554 being the highest since we were a top-flight team in the 1978/79 season. Whilst we can be pleased with this set of financial results, we know a large sale is not easily repeatable, and we must therefore continually strive to obtain best value for money throughout the business.”

During the year, 13,000,000 ordinary shares were allotted for an aggregate consideration of £13,000,000 by way of a debt-to-equity swap.

Rawcliffe added: “The financial support provided by the Lansdown family continues to be significant, as evidenced by their commitment throughout the 2023/24 season, as well as their investment during the 2024 summer transfer window. We remain extremely thankful for their ownership. We would also like to thank our fans for their continued support of the club.”

KEY POINTS FROM BRISTOL CITY HOLDINGS LIMITED*