Stoke City Football Club has reported a pre-tax profit of £60.8 million marking a dramatic turnaround from the £25.7 million loss recorded in the previous financial year.
Latest figures published for the accounts of Stoke City Holdings reflect a restructuring of the Championship club’s finances following its demerger from bet365 in July 2024.
This saw ownership of the bet365 Stadium and the Clayton Wood training facility transfer to the club and loans worth £90.5 million waived, leaving the club debt free as ownership passed to chairman John Coates.
Accounts filed for the year ended 31 May 2025, show turnover rose to £35.4 million from £32.2 million in 2024, thanks to increased broadcast revenue from the English Football League (EFL) and a £1 million uplift in commercial income. Conferencing and hospitality brought in £3.6 million, up from £2.9 million.
However, underlying operating loss widened to £30.9 million, compared with £26.3 million the previous year. The club has said this was influenced by a sharp drop in profit from player sales as it opted to retain key players and invest a further £13 million into strengthening the squad.
The financial statement details that directors are aware that the club, in common with “virtually all” clubs in the Championship, will continue to operate with underlying annual financial losses unless and until it returns to the Premier League, the funding formula within English Football is changed to provide more income for clubs outside of the Premier League and/or further profits are made from player sales such that they balance the trading losses being incurred.
The club has confirmed compliance with profitability and sustainability regulations and says it is “engaging constructively” with the EFL and the Independent Football Regulator towards rules which “allow for a greater level of sustainable owner investment for the benefit of the club and the local area.”
Investments into the club’s long-term future include £13 million spent on infrastructure at the bet365 Stadium and Clayton Wood.
A new state-of-the-art first team training facility, which “further underscores the owner’s commitment to providing elite facilities to support the club’s ambition of returning to the Premier League,” opened last month.
During the financial year, the club also made further investments in women and girls’ football programmes, establishing an Elite Girls’ Academy, “strengthening the pathway for local girls from grassroots to the elite levels of the game.”
Regarding the latest results, the club has added: “The club’s owner remains dedicated to the long-term, sustainable success of Stoke City and its ongoing objective to achieve promotion to the top flight.”
