Burnley were back in the big time in 2017, returning to the Premier League after a 1 year absence and this time securing Premier League safety with a 16th placed finish, learning from their previous failed attempt under Sean Dyche.

With this being the only aim of the season, a run to the FA Cup Fifth Round was a welcome boost and they will be hoping for lengthier cup campaigns in the future as the look to consolidate their stay in the Premier League this time around.

Returning to the Premier League also yielded a return to profitability after a loss in their sole campaign back in the Championship, recording a £22.2m profit this year.

Lets delve into the numbers.

Revenue Analysis 

Burnley saw revenue soar by mouth watering numbers, more than tripling from £40.0m to £121.2m (203%) after promotion, with revenue increasing in all areas.

Broadcasting revenue was the biggest mover, increasing from £29.6m to £105.0m (255%), showcasing the sheer wealth available in the Premier League. This was supplemented by additional FA Cup revenue after a solid cup run.

Matchday revenue also rose from £6.6m to £8.2m (24.2%) as the club were able to charge higher ticket prices, while attendances also grew as fans flocked in excitement to see their team in the Premier League again.

Commercial revenue also grew to the delight of those in charge, more than doubling from £3.8m to £8.0m (111%) after a successful commercial campaign, exploiting their return to the Premier League. Adding commercial revenue to a club’s sizeable Premier League TV money is key to gaining a financial edge, something Burnley have realised and our aggressively targeting.

Burnley will see revenue balloon again after an incredibly successful season with a top 8 finish expected at the bare minimum, an improvement of 8 places on last season which will yield significant more Premier League prize money whilst they also made it to the FA Cup Fifth Round again.

Burnley will also have the added benefit of potentially playing Europa League football next year which may aid an increase in commercial revenue too.

Expense Analysis 

Burnley learned from previous failed Premier League campaigns that securing survival on a shoestring budget is difficult if not impossible and decided to be a bit more risky in their attempts to stay a Premier League club this time around. Expenses rose from £57.7m to £95.8m (66%) whilst maybe more interestingly, doubled from their previous campaign where expenses were only £43.2m.

Amortisation costs rose hugely due to player investment, more than doubling from £10.2m to £22.4m (120%).

The club also have minimal debt and hence minimal finance expense which fell further still, decreasing to £45k from £55k (11.1%)

Wages shot up as the club looked to attract the talent to keep them in the Premier League, wages rose from £38.4m to £61.2m (59.4%). This works out at a huge extra £438k a week for Burnley.

It must be noted that last year wages included the exceptional costs of their previous promotion which brought their players and staff big bonuses, this amount came in at £11.3m. Excluding these one-off costs from wages means wages actually increased by a huge 126%, working out at an eye watering extra £656k a week.

Wages also more than doubled the £29.4m they spent in their previous Premier League campaign after the club introduced a new wage structure to ensure they could be more competitive this time around.

Burnley paid no tax this year due to unused losses.

Burnley interestingly did not pay a salary to any of their directors who instead own shares in the company that may prove more valuable in the long run.

Transfers Analysis 

Burnley had a positive net spend for the third consecutive year, more than tripling the net spend of their previous Premier League campaign with 6 players joining the club whilst only 1 player left.

In came Brady (£13.6m), Hendrick (£10.6m), Defour (£7.7m), Westwood (£5.2m), Gudmundsson (£2.7m) and Pope (£1.2m) for a combined outlay of £41.0m.

Jutkiewicz was the only departure, leaving the club for £1.1m.

This led to a net spend of £39.9m, a monumental 787% increase on last year’s spend of £4.5m and more than triple the £11.4m spend in 2015.

All of Burnley’s signings positively contributed to their survival and will be classed as good signings by the shrewd Sean Dyche.

Due to only 1 departure, the club ended up making a profit on disposal of £1.3m, slightly more than the fee received for Jutkiewicz, this was compared to a £11.9m profit last year, a 89.1% drop.

Burnley paid out cash of £39.7m in purchasing these players, a significantly bigger outlay than last year’s £11.4m whilst the Burnley received £8.4m in cash, an increase on the £6.6m received last year as club’s settle their debts to the club.

Burnley also potentially owe another £7.1m to clubs should their players meet certain clauses agreed when the transfers took place.

Asset/Liabilities Analysis

Burnley are an incredibly well run club, improving their net cash position immensely during the year after cash levels boomed.

Cash more than tripled from £6.3m to £20.1m (219%) after increasing profits, transfer fees incoming as well as a tax refund from the government of £5.1m.

Burnley’s little debt halved during the year from £0.4m to £0.2m as the club continues to remain pretty much debt free.

This led to Burnley having a much improved net cash position of £19.9m from previous levels of £5.9m (237%), given the club significant room for manoeuvre should they want to expand – especially with a potential Europa League campaign next season.

As part of this, Burnley have already committed to spending £11.8m on improving the club’s facilities.

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