Liverpool unveil designs for new stand concourses
March 14 – Liverpool have unveiled a series of artist impressions of facilities that will be available in their Main Stand which opens later this year.
Premier League
West Ham bid to increase the Olympic Stadium capacity to 60,000
By Mark Baber
March 11 – As West Ham supporters pay their respects to the Upton Park/Boleyn Ground, the club’s Board has revealed that it is working to increase the capacity of their new home to 60,000.
Aston Villa thumped again – this time off the pitch to the tune of £28m
By David Owen
March 10 – Aston Villa, the Birmingham club marooned at the foot of the Premier League table, have reported a £27.8 million loss for the year to 31 May 2015. The deficit, which compares with a loss of just under £4 million the previous year, is the biggest among Premier League clubs yet to have reported, just ahead of Chelsea.
Leicester’s high-flying Foxes post meteoric rise in profit
By David Owen
March 10 – High-flying Leicester City, the shock Premier League leaders, are not just a transformed proposition on the pitch. Their financial prospects suddenly look as bright as Riyad Mahrez’s revelatory forward play or manager Claudio Ranieri’s post-match demeanour.
Premier League caps away tickets at £30 for three seasons
By Paul Nicholson
March 9 – The long running battle between clubs and fans over the price of tickets for away matches has found a league-wide solution with Premier League clubs having unanimously agreed to cap away tickets at no more than £30 each. The agreement will last for three seasons.
Sunderland boss quits over errors in handling Johnson sex case
March 9 – The chief executive of Premier League club Sunderland, Margaret Byrne (pictured), has resigned over her role in the child sex case involving former England wide midfielder Adam Johnson, one of the most distasteful off-the-field episodes in recent English football history.
Great expectations: Can Man United’s commercial drive be matched on the pitch
By Mark Baber
March 8 – The retirement of Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager was lamented by fans as the “end of an era” – and how true that has proved to be as media and sponsors slowly adjust to United’s loss of dominance.
West Ham and Swansea top attendances, Toon Army return to St James’s
By Paul Nicholson
March 8 – Premier League attendances hit near record levels for the season last weekend after a round of mid-week fixtures that saw the lowest capacity attendance figures of the season.
Liverpool start recruiting staff for opening of Anfield’s new Main Stand
March 7 – Liverpool has started a recruitment drive for more than 1,000 new match day and occasional staff at Anfield as the club prepares for the opening of the expanded Main Stand next season.
Liverpool’s 2010 financial carnage was not helped by poor players, hears NY court
By Paul Nicholson
March 4 – The five-year long New York court case following the sale of Liverpool Football Club to Fenway Sports Group revealed this week former owner George Gillett Jr is still paying £125,000 a month in debt repayments for a loan secured against the club, and that the new owners felt that due to the aging playing squad the £295 million price was in fact an overpayment for the asset.
Liverpool still feeling the Suarez effect with £60m profit boost
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – The legacy effect of Luis Suarez at Liverpool lives on with the club reporting a record a profit of £60 million for the year to end May 2015. Suarez, sold for an estimated £75 million to Barcelona in June 2014, gave the numbers a huge boost but the club insists that money has been reinvested in buying new players.
Moshiri dumps Arsenal shares to buy Everton stake
By Mark Baber
February 29 – Everton will have a new major shareholder after Iranian-British billionaire Farhad Moshiri on Friday sold his shares in Red and White Holdings to his business partner Alisher Usmanov before it was announced on Saturday that he would be acquiring 49.9% of Everton, conditional on Premier League approval.
Boris backs Spurs on £400m White Hart Lane renovation
February 26 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have taken another step along the path in the £400 million renovation of their White Hart Lane ground, with Mayor of London Boris Johnson giving his stamp of approval and ratifying the scheme that is rooted in a regeneration of the local area.
Fan group calls on clubs to get a grip of ticket market to beat online rip-offs
By Mark Baber
February 23 – The Football Supporters’ Federation has called on clubs to create their own secondary ticket exchanges after a BBC Radio 5 live investigation found football ticket-touting laws are being flouted, apparently leaving fans vulnerable to online brokers.
Swansea top out, Chelsea, Norwich, Man City and Arsenal keep on the pace
February 16 – The 26th round of the Premier League saw five clubs record more than 99% capacity attendances with Swansea packing in 90 people more than their official capacity.