football club business plan

Football Club Strategic Plan Template

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Running a successful football club requires careful planning and strategic thinking. With ClickUp's Football Club Strategic Plan Template, you can create a roadmap for long-term success that covers every aspect of club management. This template helps you:

• Define clear goals and objectives for player recruitment, youth development, marketing, sponsorship acquisition, and stadium infrastructure improvement
• Strategize and prioritize initiatives to maximize the club's competitiveness and sustainability
• Collaborate with your team, board members, and stakeholders to align everyone's efforts towards the same vision

Whether you're a football club owner or a board member, this template will empower you to create a winning strategy that takes your club to new heights. Start planning for success today with ClickUp!

Benefits of Football Club Strategic Plan Template

A Football Club Strategic Plan Template offers numerous benefits for clubs looking to excel on and off the field:

• Provides a clear roadmap for the club's long-term goals and objectives
• Helps clubs stay focused and aligned with their mission and values
• Enables effective planning and resource allocation for player recruitment, youth development, and infrastructure improvement
• Enhances decision-making by identifying key strategies for marketing, sponsorship acquisition, and fan engagement
• Ensures sustainable growth and competitiveness in an ever-evolving football landscape

Main Elements of Football Club Strategic Plan Template

ClickUp's Football Club Strategic Plan template is designed to help you effectively manage and execute your club's long-term goals and initiatives.

Key elements of this template include:

• Custom Statuses: Track the progress of your strategic plan with statuses such as Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, On Hold, and To Do.
• Custom Fields: Utilize 8 custom fields, including Duration Days, Impact, Progress, Ease of Implementation, Team Members, Department, and Project Lead, to capture and analyze important information about each initiative.
• Custom Views: Access 6 different views, including Progress, Gantt, Workload, Timeline, Initiatives, and Getting Started Guide, to visualize your strategic plan from different perspectives and stay on track.
• Goal Tracking: Use ClickUp's Goals feature to set and track strategic objectives, ensuring alignment with your overall plan.
• Collaboration Tools: Collaborate with your team in real-time using features such as Task Comments, Assignments, and Notifications to enhance communication and drive progress.
• Automations: Automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows with ClickUp's Automations, saving time and increasing productivity.

How to Use Strategic Plan for Football Club

If you're looking to create a strategic plan for your football club, follow these simple steps using the Football Club Strategic Plan Template in ClickUp:

1. Define your club's vision and mission

Begin by clearly defining the long-term vision and mission for your football club. This should include your club's purpose, values, and overall goals. Think about what you want to achieve as a club and what sets you apart from others.

Use the Goals feature in ClickUp to create and track your club's vision and mission statements.

2. Conduct a SWOT analysis

Perform a comprehensive SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for your football club. Identify your club's strengths, such as talented players or a strong fan base, as well as weaknesses, such as limited resources or lack of facilities. Also, assess the opportunities and threats in the external environment, such as new sponsorship opportunities or competition from rival clubs.

Utilize the Table view in ClickUp to create a SWOT analysis table and easily organize and analyze your findings.

3. Set strategic goals and objectives

Based on your vision, mission, and SWOT analysis, establish specific strategic goals and objectives for your football club. These should be measurable and aligned with your overall vision. For example, you may set goals to win a certain number of matches or increase fan engagement.

Create tasks in ClickUp to outline each strategic goal and assign them to the appropriate team members.

4. Develop action plans

Break down your strategic goals into actionable steps by developing detailed action plans. Determine the specific activities, resources, and timelines needed to achieve each goal. This will help you stay on track and ensure that progress is being made towards your objectives.

Use the Gantt chart feature in ClickUp to create visual timelines and track the progress of each action plan.

5. Implement and monitor progress

Put your action plans into motion and begin executing them. Assign responsibilities to team members and provide them with the necessary resources and support. Regularly monitor the progress of each action plan and make adjustments as needed.

Utilize the Dashboards feature in ClickUp to get a real-time overview of the progress of each action plan and track key performance indicators.

6. Review and update the strategic plan

Periodically review and evaluate the effectiveness of your strategic plan. Assess whether you are on track to achieve your goals and make any necessary adjustments or refinements. As your football club evolves, your strategic plan should be flexible enough to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

Set a recurring task in ClickUp to review and update your strategic plan on a regular basis to ensure its relevance and effectiveness.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Football Club Strategic Plan Template

Football club owners and board members can use the Football Club Strategic Plan Template to create a roadmap for the success and growth of their club.

First, hit "Add Template" to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you'd like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to strategically plan for your football club:

• Use the Progress View to track the progress of each strategic initiative
• The Gantt View will help you visualize the timeline and dependencies of each project
• Utilize the Workload View to manage resource allocation and ensure the right people are assigned to each task
• The Timeline View will give you a clear overview of all planned initiatives and their deadlines
• Use the Initiatives View to brainstorm and prioritize strategic initiatives
• Refer to the Getting Started Guide to understand how to best utilize the template and get started on your strategic planning journey
• Organize tasks into five different statuses: Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, On Hold, To Do, to keep track of progress
• Update statuses as you work through each strategic initiative
• Monitor and analyze tasks to ensure successful implementation of your strategic plan.

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Building your strategic plan

A good strategic plan should provide the sports club or Federation with a roadmap to help them achieve their goals and overall vision. It is a documented plan with key SMART objectives which help to focus not only the staff but the Federation or club’s resources in specific areas.

This guest article by Geoff Wilson will not cover all aspects of strategic planning but will give you a general introduction on the subject.

Why strategic planning matters

Taking the decision to develop and grow your club or Federation means embracing the risks that come with growth and development. Spending time on planning should help you reduce and manage those risks. This includes identifying exactly where you want to take your club or Federation and how you will get there. As your club or Federation becomes larger and more complex, your strategy will need to become more sophisticated. You will also need to start collecting and analysing a wider range of information about the sport in your country and the organisation itself. You’ll need information on how your club or Federation operates and about current and potential developments in your sport. To develop a strategy, you must shift your focus from day-to-day concerns and consider your broad and long-term options.

The four key elements of strategic planning

To develop a strategy for your club or Federation you must deepen your understanding of the way your organisation works. You need to know how your organisation compares to other sport organisations in your country. As a starting point, you need to ask yourself the following four questions:

1. Where is your club or Federation now? This involves understanding as much about your organisation as possible. Find out how it operates internally and externally, what drives its revenue/costs, and how it compares with competitors? What is happening in the sports industry? Who are your key stakeholders? What resources do you have at your disposal? Be realistic, detached and critical.

2. Where do you want to take it? Work out your vision, mission, goals, objectives and values. Where do you see your club or Federation in three or five years? What do you want to be the focus of your club or Federation?

3. What do you need to do to get there/how do you get there? What specific action plans do you need to develop under each objective? What changes to the structure and financing of your club or Federation is needed? What is the best way of implementing those changes?

4. Are you getting there? This phase relates to monitoring the implementation of your strategic plan. This step involves meeting regularly to critically scrutinise your Federation’s performance against the objectives and action plans formulated.

What is a vision?

In one sentence, a vision describes a clear and inspirational long term desired change, resulting from an organisation’s efforts and activities. It clearly states where you want your club or Federation to be in the future?

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement defines the current purpose and activities of your club or Federation – simply what you do, for whom, and what the benefits are. Your mission statement describes concisely (within a couple of sentences) your club or Federation’s activities, customers and how it manages each of these to achieve its purpose. It ultimately deals with the question – Why do you exist?

What are Strategic Goals?

These are long-term targets to which resources are directed and can be related to any one of the club or Federation’s key activities.

Strategic goals are generally:

– Broad areas of focus that help to achieve your vision; – Macro; – Long term in nature; and – Focused on addressing organisational or sporting issues.

What are Objectives?

Objectives are your strategic goals translated into specific milestones that can be performed using the resources of your club or Federation. Objectives should be SMART – – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Responsibility-assigned, and Time-bound.

What are Action Plans?

Action plans involve breaking down objectives into more precise activities or tasks. Action plans document for staff and stakeholders what is to be done, by whom, how and when.

Key learnings

1. Conducted detailed research or an operational review on your club or Federation prior to starting the strategic plan. 2. Bring together your key team and ensure they all contribute during the workshop. 3. Organise several strategic planning workshops. Ensure you give enough time to this process. I also recommend the workshops are held away from the stadium or headquarters. 4. Ensure all objectives are SMART and measurable. 5. Set up a strategic review committee whose purpose is to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the strategic plan. This review committee should meet every quarter with a report provided to the board regarding the status of tasks completed. 6. Launch your strategic plan to your key stakeholders and staff. Ensure everyone is bought into the vision, goals etc

Geoff has created a 90 minutes course that will give you a clear direction when creating your strategic plan. Useful templates are provided that you can use when creating your vision, mission, values, goals, objectives and action plans.

About Geoff Wilson

Geoff runs his own Sports Consultancy, working with clients such as FIFA, UEFA, AFC and FIBA across the world. He is also on the board of Tourism Northern Ireland. You can follow Geoff on twitter @geoffwnjwilson connect on Linkedin at linkedin.com/in/geoffwnjwilson

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Business Model

The main sources of income for the Company are:

1) Broadcasting revenues (TV and radio rights and media revenues):

Revenues from broadcasting and media rights’ sale mainly derive from: (a) central negotiation - handled by Lega Serie A in accordance with the law - of broadcasting rights for TV (and other distributing platforms) to air football games belonging to competitions organized by Lega Serie A; and (b) UEFA revenues deriving from negotiation and exploitation of commercial rights (broadcasting rights and usage of commercial spaces) connected with participation to UEFA Champions League and /or UEFA Europa League. Additional revenues come from the club archive (i.e. library) monetization, mainly via Italian and international broadcasters, and from home games’ direct production of contents.

2) Commercial and other revenues (revenues from sponsorship and advertising, revenues from sales of products and licenses, and other revenues):

Revenues from sponsorships and advertising consist in monetization of Juventus name, brand, logo and visibility spaces associated with the First Team. These revenues derive mainly from considerations paid by the technical sponsor, the main sponsor and other Juventus official partners (both on a global and on a regional basis); sponsorship revenues also comprise stadium naming right. Moreover, commercial revenues also include: revenues from sales of Juventus-branded products and licenses via physical or digital channels (managed directly by the team), technical sponsor royalties (paid by technical sponsor on the sale of co-branded products), and licensing activities of Juventus brand (for those products not covered by the technical sponsor contract). To be highlighted that Juventus directly manages its merchandising activities from 2015/16 (without the need to rely on a third-party), and this has generated a substantial increase in commercial revenues. “Other revenues” mainly include Membership, Stadium Tour, Museum and Summer camps revenues.

3) Ticket sales:

Deriving mainly from season ticket and match-day ticket sales (with connected hospitality services) for First Team games played at the Allianz Stadium; ticket sales also includes the appearance fee for the commercial exploitation of First Team tour and/or friendly matches. Since 8 September 2011, Juventus plays its home matches at Allianz Stadium; this state-of-the-art proprietary stadium (with +41,000-seats) has allowed the club to significantly improve its match-day offering for its fans over the last few years.

4) Income from players’ registration rights:

Gains obtained from Juventus players’ transfer market. This income-generating activity has been fostered also by the recent expansion of the club’s sporting borders (in particular with the addition of Juventus Next Gen team and with Juventus Youth enlargement) allowing for the nurturing and formation of young players.

The Development Plan (which traces the strategic and operating guidelines to manage and develop the team) has been defined taking into considerations the following objectives: 1) Consolidate economic and financial stability, 2) Maintain sporting competitiveness and 3) Increase Juventus brand visibility.

1) Consolidate economic and financial stability:

The fundamental objective of the Development Plan is to realize a sustainable growth model that may allow to maintain high sporting result standards, without jeopardizing Juventus economic and financial stability.

2) Maintain sporting competitiveness:

In order to consolidate Juventus as a top-notch football club in both the Italian and international landscape; the Development Plan envisages transfer market campaigns characterised by a careful and disciplined management of investments and divestments, with the objective of maintaining an adequate qualitative level for the roster and guaranteeing, over time, the natural generational turnover. The ultimate goal is to keep building a highly technical-skilled team that may obtain remarkable sporting results both nationally and internationally

3) Increase Juventus brand visibility:

With +423 million fans and +121 million followers on social networks, Juventus can be defined as one of the few true global sports franchises: to this extent, Juventus' goal is to expand its partnerships both globally and regionally in all economic sectors.

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Soccer Club Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Having a business plan for your soccer club is the best way to ensure you have the structure and framework in place to make your business a success. When you have something that is unique and different, it's easier to market because you can be specific about what you are offering. In this guide we look at the seven steps it takes to create the right plan for your business.

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• How to Start a Profitable Soccer Club Business [11 Steps]
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• List of the Best Marketing Ideas For Your Soccer Club Business:

How to Write a Soccer Club Business Plan in 7 Steps:

1. describe the purpose of your soccer club business..

The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your soccer club business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind thinking about the customers’ problems. It also helps you identify what makes your business different from others in its industry.

It also helps to include a vision statement so that readers can understand what type of company you want to build.

Here is an example of a purpose mission statement for a soccer club business:

Our purpose at Soccer Club Inc. is to provide a fun and safe environment for children and young adults to learn and play soccer. Our mission is to become the premier destination for youth soccer in the region, offering a wide range of programs and services to suit every need. We are committed to providing exceptional customer service, with knowledgeable and friendly staff who can help parents and players understand their options and make the best choices for their needs. We aim to provide a safe, well-maintained playing environment for our players, and to deliver exceptional results that exceed our customers' expectations. We believe that everyone deserves to have access to high-quality, fun, and safe soccer programs, and we strive to provide our customers with the best soccer experience available.

2. Products & Services Offered by Your Soccer Club Business.

The next step is to outline your products and services for your soccer club business. 

When you think about the products and services that you offer, it's helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my business?
• What are the products and/or services that I offer?
• Why am I offering these particular products and/or services?
• How do I differentiate myself from competitors with similar offerings?
• How will I market my products and services?

You may want to do a comparison of your business plan against those of other competitors in the area, or even with online reviews. This way, you can find out what people like about them and what they don’t like, so that you can either improve upon their offerings or avoid doing so altogether.

3. Build a Creative Marketing Stratgey.

If you don't have a marketing plan for your soccer club business, it's time to write one. Your marketing plan should be part of your business plan and be a roadmap to your goals. 

A good marketing plan for your soccer club business includes the following elements:

Target market

• Who is your target market?
• What do these customers have in common?
• How many of them are there?
• How can you best reach them with your message or product?

Customer base 

• Who are your current customers? 
• Where did they come from (i.e., referrals)?
• How can their experience with your soccer club business help make them repeat customers, consumers, visitors, subscribers, or advocates for other people in their network or industry who might also benefit from using this service, product, or brand?

Product or service description

• How does it work, what features does it have, and what are its benefits?
• Can anyone use this product or service regardless of age or gender?
• Can anyone visually see themselves using this product or service?
• How will they feel when they do so? If so, how long will the feeling last after purchasing (or trying) the product/service for the first time?

Competitive analysis

• Which companies are competing with yours today (and why)? 
• Which ones may enter into competition with yours tomorrow if they find out about it now through word-of-mouth advertising; social media networks; friends' recommendations; etc.)
• What specific advantages does each competitor offer over yours currently?

Marketing channels

• Which marketing channel do you intend to leverage to attract new customers?
• What is your estimated marketing budget needed?
• What is the projected cost to acquire a new customer?
• How many of your customers do you instead will return?

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4. Write Your Operational Plan.

Next, you'll need to build your operational plan. This section describes the type of business you'll be running, and includes the steps involved in your operations. 

In it, you should list:

• The equipment and facilities needed
• Who will be involved in the business (employees, contractors)
• Financial requirements for each step
• Milestones & KPIs
• Location of your business
• Zoning & permits required for the business

What equipment, supplies, or permits are needed to run a soccer club business?

To run a soccer club business, you will need a few key pieces of equipment, supplies, and permits. These include:

• Soccer equipment and facilities such as fields, goals, and balls
• Training and coaching equipment and resources
• A permit to operate your business (depending on location)
• Business licenses and permits for business activities (if applicable)

You may also need to hire and train staff to manage the soccer club operations and provide customer service.

5. Management & Organization of Your Soccer Club Business.

The second part of your soccer club business plan is to develop a management and organization section.

This section will cover all of the following:

• How many employees you need in order to run your soccer club business. This should include the roles they will play (for example, one person may be responsible for managing administrative duties while another might be in charge of customer service).
• The structure of your management team. The higher-ups like yourself should be able to delegate tasks through lower-level managers who are directly responsible for their given department (inventory and sales, etc.).
• How you’re going to make sure that everyone on board is doing their job well. You’ll want check-ins with employees regularly so they have time to ask questions or voice concerns if needed; this also gives you time to offer support where necessary while staying informed on how things are going within individual departments too!

6. Soccer Club Business Startup Expenses & Captial Needed.

This section should be broken down by month and year. If you are still in the planning stage of your business, it may be helpful to estimate how much money will be needed each month until you reach profitability.

Typically, expenses for your business can be broken into a few basic categories:

Startup Costs

Startup costs are typically the first expenses you will incur when beginning an enterprise. These include legal fees, accounting expenses, and other costs associated with getting your business off the ground. The amount of money needed to start a soccer club business varies based on many different variables, but below are a few different types of startup costs for a soccer club business.

Running & Operating Costs

Running costs refer to ongoing expenses related directly with operating your business over time like electricity bills or salaries paid out each month. These types of expenses will vary greatly depending on multiple variables such as location, team size, utility costs, etc.

Marketing & Sales Expenses

You should include any costs associated with marketing and sales, such as advertising and promotions, website design or maintenance. Also, consider any additional expenses that may be incurred if you decide to launch a new product or service line. For example, if your soccer club business has an existing website that needs an upgrade in order to sell more products or services, then this should be listed here.

7. Financial Plan & Projections

A financial plan is an important part of any business plan, as it outlines how the business will generate revenue and profit, and how it will use that profit to grow and sustain itself. To devise a financial plan for your soccer club business, you will need to consider a number of factors, including your start-up costs, operating costs, projected revenue, and expenses. 

Here are some steps you can follow to devise a financial plan for your soccer club business plan:

• Determine your start-up costs: This will include the cost of purchasing or leasing the space where you will operate your business, as well as the cost of buying or leasing any equipment or supplies that you need to start the business.
• Estimate your operating costs: Operating costs will include utilities, such as electricity, gas, and water, as well as labor costs for employees, if any, and the cost of purchasing any materials or supplies that you will need to run your business.
• Project your revenue: To project your revenue, you will need to consider the number of customers you expect to have and the average amount they will spend on each visit. You can use this information to estimate how much money you will make from selling your products or services.
• Estimate your expenses: In addition to your operating costs, you will need to consider other expenses, such as insurance, marketing, and maintenance. You will also need to set aside money for taxes and other fees.
• Create a budget: Once you have estimated your start-up costs, operating costs, revenue, and expenses, you can use this information to create a budget for your business. This will help you to see how much money you will need to start the business, and how much profit you can expect to make.
• Develop a plan for using your profit: Finally, you will need to decide how you will use your profit to grow and sustain your business. This might include investing in new equipment, expanding the business, or saving for a rainy day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Soccer Club Business Plans:

Why do you need a business plan for a soccer club business.

A business plan is a document that outlines the goals and objectives of a business, as well as the strategies and tactics that will be used to achieve those goals. It is important to have a business plan for your soccer club business because it helps to focus the efforts of the company, communicate the business's goals and objectives to potential investors, and provide a roadmap for the business to follow. Additionally, a business plan can be used to help secure funding from investors or lenders, who will want to see that the business has a solid plan in place before they provide funding.

How to write a business plan for your soccer club business?)

To build a business plan for your soccer club business, start by researching your industry, competitors, and target market. Use this information to define your business's goals and objectives, as well as the strategies and tactics that you will use to achieve those goals. Next, create a financial plan that outlines your projected income, expenses, and profit. This should include a projected income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet. Once you have all of this information, you can use it to create a comprehensive business plan that outlines the goals and objectives of your business, as well as the strategies and tactics that you will use to achieve those goals. A well-written soccer club business plan contains the following sections: Purpose, Products & Services, Marketing Plan (including Marketing Strategy), Operations/Management Plan (including Operations/Management Strategy), Financial Plan (including Financial Forecasts), and Appendixes.

Can you write a soccer club business plan yourself?

Yes, you can write a soccer club business plan yourself. Writing a business plan is a valuable exercise that can help you clarify your business idea, identify potential challenges and opportunities, and develop a roadmap for success. While there are many resources and templates available to help you write a business plan, the process of creating one is ultimately up to you.

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West Brom transfers: Championship club to be restricted by EFL business plan amid financial concerns

West Bromwich Albion made Championship play-offs last season but are in danger of failing to stay within the financial guidelines of the league set by the EFL; money issues are linked to previous owners; any new transfers will need to be cleared by EFL

Senior Reporter, Sky Sports News @RobDorsettSky

Saturday 3 August 2024 12:58, UK

West Bromwich Albion have been placed under an EFL-imposed business plan which will limit their transfer activity in this window, Sky Sports News can reveal, amid concerns that they are on course to breach the League's financial rules.

Albion made the Championship play-off semi-finals last season, losing to Southampton over two legs, but their hopes of strengthening the squad this summer for another promotion push are now in jeopardy.

Sky Sports News has been told there is no issue with the financial health of the club, or any danger of Albion being unable to pay their bills - rather, the threat is centred around whether the club can stay within the financial guidelines of the League.

The money problems are linked to the club's previous owners, and the new owners are determined to still strengthen the squad where they can - albeit with possible further outgoings.

Bilkul Football WBA - a company owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Kiran Patel - bought an 87.8 per cent shareholding in Albion in February, and are working through the issues directly with the EFL to ensure they comply with the rules.

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In fact, it is understood Albion officials have been working closely with the EFL for the past 18 months on all player wage and trading issues, to try to make sure they are compliant with the rules.

Under those League rules, any club which is at risk of breaching PSR limits is given strict new guidelines to work within, with any new transfers needing to be cleared by EFL officials in advance.

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The only fee West Brom have paid for a player so far is the £500k for central defender Torbjorn Heggem from Sweden. 29-year-old Devante Cole has arrived at the Hawthorns on a free transfer from Barnsley. Goalkeeper Joe Goldsmith and midfielder Ousmane Diakate were also cost-free additions, as was experienced defender Paddy McNair who has joined on loan from San Diego.

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In total, nine players have so far left the Hawthorns this summer as the club tries to reduce its total wage bill.

Albion have had a difficult pre-season, with defeats against Bolton, Blackpool and Real Mallorca. Their only victory this summer has come against Peterborough.

Their final pre season match is against Birmingham City, at St Andrews, this afternoon.

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West Brom continue EFL relationship on financial matters but receive no 'plan'

Albion will continue to work with the EFL over financial matters but it is understood the club have not received an official business plan from the governing body.

The club have been working with Football League chiefs as they continue to try to negotiate financial concerns post-Guochuan Lai's eight-year tenure at the helm at The Hawthorns.

A report from Sky Sports claimed Albion have received an EFL-imposed business plan from which "will limit summer transfer activity".

However, the Express & Star understands no such official plan has been received at The Hawthorns – and Albion and league chiefs are continuing their 18-month relationship working closely to help the Baggies steer clear of any possible future financial sanctions.

The relationship with the EFL is a strong and transparent one.

Albion are working to remain within the EFL's financial fair play regulations, specifically current profit and sustainability rules, which restrict losses over three years to £39million.

The Baggies lost £11m in the latest accounts and the next set, to June 2024, will be far heftier.

Albion will continue to sign players and attempt to remain competitive under new ownership group Bilkul Football WBA. Shilen Patel's ownership group continue to bankroll the club, which has been losing £2m per month since the Florida businessman's takeover in February.

The club's challenge remains to rebuild a competitive group under Carlos Corberan while staying within the guidelines of the PSR regulations.

Albion last week sold Okay Yokuslu, Conor Townsend and Brandon Thomas-Asante, who each had just another year remaining on their contracts, to raise funds and ease the outlook.

Those players will be replace, it is understood, as Albion continue to manage their way through post-Lai. Patel said in a statement earlier this summer the club must be resourceful and think about the box in their summer recruitment work.

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Football clubs that went out of business

Not all clubs last forever...

Like it or not, money makes football go round – but it's also been the downfall of plenty of clubs over the years, driving some right out business in one way or another.

These outfits – ranging from iconic teams of the Victorian era to modern European trophy winners – all went bust at some point, some managing to bounce back after re-forming, others ceasing to exist for good.

To kick off the countdown, just click any of the arrows on the right-hand side!

32. New Zealand Knights

Successors to the defunct Football Kingz (it’s a shame they couldn’t keep the name), the New Zealand Knights spent two seasons in the Australian A-League.

Over the course of those two campaigns, 2005/06 and 2006/07, the Knights played 42 games and lost 29 of them, winning just six. Wellington Phoenix took their place in the A-League from 2007/08.

Formed in 1986, the current ES Troyes AC are the successors to three defunct clubs from the town in the north of France.

The first, Union Sportive Troyenne, merged with nearby AS Savinienne in 1931 to create the Association Sportive Troyenne et Savinienne (ASTS) – who reached the 1956 Coupe de France final.

ASTS folded in the early 1960s, with Troyes Omnisports (later Troyes Aube Football) coming along shortly afterwards – only to go bankrupt in the late 70s following a five-year stint in the top flight.

30. Scarborough

Wound up in 2007 after 128 years, having racked up debits of £2.5m, Scarborough spent 12 seasons in the Football League.

Back in the 70s, they were one of the most successful non-League clubs around, reaching four FA Trophy finals between 1973 and 1977 – and winning three of them.

Scarborough’s Athletic Ground – dubbed the ‘Theatre of Chips’ while sponsored by McCain Foods – hosted FA Cup ties against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.

29. FC Nancy

Two-time Coupe de France runners-up and two-time champions of the French second tier, FC Nancy ceased to exist in 1968, a year after the formation of the current Nancy.

Their former players include Juan Carlos Lorenzo – who later managed Roma to Coppa Italia glory and Atletico Madrid to the 1974 European Cup final – and Roger Piantoni – one of the all-time top goalscorers in Ligue 1.

28. Chester City

League Cup semi-finalists in 1975 – when they only narrowly lost to eventual winners Aston Villa – Chester City gave Ian Rush his break in the game, while Manchester United legend Stan Pearson also turned out for the club.

But such history couldn’t save them from being wound up in 2010, after they had made a last-ditch attempt to stay afloat by trying to leave the English league system for the Welsh Premier League.

27. Miami Fusion

The Miami Fusion were around for less than five years, joining MLS as an expansion team in 1998 and playing four season in the American top flight.

During their short existence, the Fusion won the 2001 Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record and had a certain Carlos Valderrama pull on their jersey.

26. Aldershot

Founded in 1926 as Aldershot Town (also the name taken by the reformed club which replaced them), Aldershot FC were the first ever Football League play-off winners, beating Wolves 3-0 on aggregate in the 1987 Fourth Division final.

Just under five years later, though, the Shots, relegated from the third tier in 1989, went out of business – and, as a result, they became the first club in 30 years to have to resign from the League.

25. New Brighton Tower

New Brighton Tower were formed in 1896 and ceased to exist just five years later. Nonetheless, they spent three seasons in the Football League.

And the club from the Wirral were notable for their Tower Athletic Ground home – which stood in the shadow of the structure from which the club took their name, and whose capacity of 80,000 made it one of the world’s largest stadiums at the time.

Like too many Serie A clubs of the 90s, Ascoli fell on hard time following the turn of the 21st century, ultimately going bust midway through the 2013/14 season – by which time they had sunk to the third tier of Italian football.

Immediately re-formed, Il Picchio – whose former players include Oliver Bierhoff and Simone Zaza – won promotion back to Serie B in 2015.

23. Maidstone United

It took the original Maidstone United 92 years to reach the Football League, in 1989. Three years later, the Stones were no more.

Their average attendance had been cut almost in half following their relocation some 40 miles away to Dartford – and when the latter’s ground was sold and the League rejected Maidstone chairman John Waugh’s proposal to move the club from Kent to the North East, it proved to be the beginning of the end.

22. Middlesbrough Ironopolis

The brilliantly named Middlesbrough Ironopolis were formed in 1889 by members of then amateur Middlesbrough FC who wanted the town to have a professional club.

By 1893, the Nops had been FA Cup quarter-finalists and made it to the Football League – but they lasted just one season there, resigning amid financial difficulties and ultimately disbanding.

As such, they are one of only a handful of clubs to have spent a sole campaign in the League.

21. Limerick

Twice champions of Ireland and twice FAI (Football Association of Ireland) Cup winners, Limerick were in existence from 1937 to 2020 – at which point they were replaced by a new club, Treaty United.

Arguably their most memorable game came in the first round of the 1980/81 European Cup, when they hosted Real Madrid at the national stadium, Landsdowne Road – and only lost 2-1 to a side featuring greats like Juanito and Uli Stielike.

20. Tampa Bay Mutiny

A founder member of MLS, the Tampa Bay Mutiny participated in each of the league’s first six seasons, winning the Supporters’ Shield in the inaugural 1996 campaign.

Carlos Valderrama – who starred for the Mutiny either side of his spell with the Miami Fusion, winning 1996 MLS MVP – and Swedish goalkeeping great Thomas Ravelli were among their most prominent players.

19. Reggina

From 2002 to 2009, Reggina were a Serie A club; come 2015, by which time they had plummeted to the fourth tier of Italian football, they were declaring bankruptcy.

Fortunately, they managed to reform – although they couldn’t seem to settle on a new identity, getting through four names over the next eight years, becoming LFA Reggio Calabria in 2023.

18. Chivas USA

Introduced to MLS in 2004 as an affiliate of Mexican giants Guadalajara (they even had the same badge), Chivas USA were based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson.

Come the early 2010s, however, the Goats (‘chiva’ is a Latin American Spanish term for goat, doncha know) were struggling on and off the pitch, and the league decided to rethink its strategy for LA, opting to purchase the club and shut them down in 2014.

Four years later, LAFC entered MLS as the effective successor to Chivas USA.

17. Newport County

The current Newport County’s badge features two foundation years: 1912, when the original club came into being, and 1989, when they were reformed after this Newport County went bust.

In their old guise, Newport famously reached the quarter-finals of the 1980/81 Cup Winners’ Cup while playing in the third tier of English football – having gained entry by winning the previous season’s Welsh Cup.

16. ChievoVerona

In 2001, ChievoVerona reached Serie A for the first time in their history; in 2021, just two years after what would prove to be their final top-flight game, the club no longer existed.

Unlike other Italian clubs, the Flying Donkeys did not fly too close to the sun; they were fiscally prudent, but their last relegation came at the worst possible time: during the onset of the Covid pandemic, and the resulting lack of matchday income cost them dearly.

15. K. Beerschot V.A.C.

Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbal en Atletiek Club, to use their full name (that’s Royal Beerschot Football and Athletic Club), were Belgium’s dominant force back in the 1920s, winning the title five times – then adding a further two crowns just before the Second World War.

The Antwerp outfit lifted two Belgian Cups during the 70s – when they also reached the second round of the 1971/72 Cup Winners’ Cup – but by the end of the 20th century they were no more, dissolving in 1999.

14. FC Amsterdam

FC Amsterdam were around for just under a decade, but during that time they achieved a fifth-placed finish in the Eredivisie and reached the quarter-finals of the 1974/75 UEFA Cup – defeating Inter along the way.

For most of their short existence, FC Amsterdam – whose goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed started for the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final – played at the Dutch capital’s Olympic Stadium.

13. Hereford United

Hereford United provided one of the greatest moments in FA Cup history when Ronnie Radford scored that goal to stun top-flight Newcastle in 1972 (Ricky George actually scored the winner).

Within four years, the Bulls had risen three tiers from the Southern League to the Second Division. They spent just one season there, however, and spent just two campaigns higher than the fourth tier between 1977 and their demise in 2014 – at which point they had been relegated back to non-League for the second time in 11 years.

12. Vicenza

Yet another Italian outfit with a history of monetary woes, Vicenza have had several spells in Serie A throughout their history, notably finishing as runners-up in 1977/78 – spearheaded by the legendary Paolo Rossi.

The 1996/97 Coppa Italia winners eventually succumbed to bankruptcy in 2018, after which they were revived through a merger with another club, Bassano Virtus.

11. Rushden & Diamonds

Formed in 1992 when Max Griggs, the owner of locally based shoemaking giant Dr. Martens, merged Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds, Rushden & Diamonds rose from the seventh tier of English football to the third tier in the space of just 11 years.

But the 2003/04 campaign – when the Diamonds rubbed shoulders with Sheffield Wednesday and QPR – was as good as it got: two relegations in three seasons saw them back in the Conference by 2006, and their financial problems mounted to the point that they liquidated five years later.

10. Blackburn Olympic

Even today, Blackburn is a relatively small town by football standards – but it’s among the few places to have produced multiple FA Cup winners: Blackburn Rovers and the lesser-known Blackburn Olympic.

Founded in 1878, Olympic made history five years later by becoming the first club from the north of England to lift the FA Cup. By 1889, however, having been overlooked for invitation to the newly formed Football League (unlike Rovers), they were no more.

9. AEK Athens

They’re one of Greece’s biggest and most successful clubs, but neither of those facts made AEK Athens immune from going bust in 2013.

As a result, they had to start again in the third tier – but it didn’t take them long to restore former glories, earning successive promotions to return to the top flight for the 2015/16 season, then winning the title in 2017/18.

8. Accrington FC

“Accrington FC – who are they?!”

It’s not quite as memorable as the proper version of that famous line, but the original club from the Lancashire town that later gave the world Accrington Stanley are highly notable in their own right.

Back in 1888, Accrington were founder members of the Football League – which they played in for five years, before becoming the first club to resign from the competition permanently. They folded in 1896.

7. Clapham Rovers

Clapham Rovers excelled at football and rugby, but it’s their achievements in the former which truly cemented their place in history.

In existence from 1869 until 1914 – the club suspended operations due to the outbreak of World War I and never resumed – Rovers’ Harvis Kenrick scored the first ever FA Cup goal, in a first-round victory over Upton Park in 1871.

Then, in 1880, the South Londoners – whose home colours were officially cerise and French grey (ooh, fancy) – enjoyed their finest hour, winning the FA Cup by defeating Oxford University 1-0 at the Oval.

6. FC Dnipro

Twice Soviet champions during the 1980s, FC Dnipro produced a surprise run to the final of the 2014/15 Europa League – where they were narrowly beaten by Unai Emery Sevilla.

And that was to be as close as the club from the east of Ukraine ever came to continental glory: they were banned from UEFA competition due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) violations, before going bust in 2019.

5. Wanderers

Nowadays, there’s Wolverhampton, Bolton and Wycombe – but these were the original Wanderers, forming in 1859 in East London and taking their name from the fact they never had a home ground, instead… wandering.

A dominant force in the early years of the FA Cup, the Wanderers won the first two editions of the competition and lifted the trophy five times in total.

Consisting largely of former pupils of top English public schools, the club dissolved shortly before the dawn of the Football League era.

4. Anzhi Makhachkala

Based in the capital of the Russian republic of Dagestan, Anzhi Makhachkala rose from obscurity to the cusp of the Champions League with the backing of billionaire Suleyman Kerimov.

High-profile signings included Roberto Carlos, Samuel Eto’o and Lassana Diarra, while Guus Hiddink spent 18 months as manager.

It all ended in tears for, though, as Kerimov slashed the club’s budget and eventually sold up. In 2022, Anzhi dissolved, apologising to their fans and expressing a hope to return “one day”.

Technically, the current Rangers are the same Rangers they have always been, founded way back in 1872 – but it’s a fact that the club was liquidated in 2012, amid the controversial ownership of Craig Whyte.

As a consequence, the Glasgow giants had to start again from the fourth tier – although their rapid ascent back to the top flight in the space of four years just goes to show how little their status as one of Scottish football’s overwhelmingly dominant forces was dented by their financial plight.

Although they never won the Serie A title, Parma were one of Italy’s most successful clubs during the 90s, getting their hands on the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup twice apiece, as well as lifting the Cup Winners’ Cup – all while boasting players like Fabio Cannavaro, Hernan Crespo and Lilian Thuram.

But after their parent company, the Parmalat dairy and food corporation, was implicated in fraud in the early 00s, Parma were hit hard – and were eventually declared bankrupt in 2015, having to reform in Serie D.

You wouldn’t think that Napoli, runaway Serie A champions in 2022/23, had gone bust earlier this century – but that’s exactly what happened in 2004.

It could have been oblivion for one of Italy’s most iconic clubs, but film Aurelio De Laurentiis swooped in to save the day and re-establish the Partenopei – who reset in the third tier and underwent a remarkable resurgence, returning to the top flight in 2010 and qualifying for Europe a year later.

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...

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