Sunderland record £1.1 million operating loss in promotion season as accounts released | OneFootball

Sunderland recorded an operating loss of £1.1 million in their 2024/25 promotion campaign, an improvement of £7 million on the previous year, according to Sunderland Echo. The accounts, published today, cover the play-off triumph at Wembley.

The figures underscore promotion achieved without parachute payments and with operating costs kept well below rivals.

An accounting quirk drove a roughly £45,000,000 profit on player sales, with the exits of Jack Clarke, Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson falling inside the period. Much of the major summer recruitment landed after the cut-off, so will feature next year. Since 31 July, the day after Granit Xhaka’s arrival, the net transfer fees payable total £47,346,348.

Turnover rose by £2.1 million to £40.3 million, helped by stronger gate receipts and sponsorship, plus a £2,000,000 uplift from the new EFL TV deal with Sky Sports. Promotion bonuses pushed staff costs above £50,000,000. Around £10,000,000 was invested in club facilities.

They stayed in the play-off places from the early weeks. A last-second extra-time aggregate win over Coventry at the Stadium of Light preceded Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute clincher at Wembley.

Commercially, gate receipts rose 14.3% to £13.3 million and overall sponsorship increased to £3.9 million, up 67%. Partnerships with Fanatics and Hummel drove record shirt sales. A quiet concert summer left the stadium unused but enabled significant redevelopment for 2025/26.

Debt now includes £19,820,000 owed to parent company Mercator and £25,216,788 to Akira BV, a company linked to the Louis-Dreyfus family, which accrues interest. Premier League football will raise costs next season, but revenues will also increase.

Source: Sunderland Echo