BY DARREN JOHNSTONE – CAPITAL CITY PRESS
Kilmarnock chairman Jim Mann admits Rangers’ failure to get back to the top-flight has cost the Rugby Park side up to £200,000 in extra revenue.
Rangers must play at least another season in the Championship after being beaten 6-1 on aggregate by Motherwell in the play-off final.Killie’s average home crowd more than doubled to around 10,000 when they played host to their Govan counterparts in the past and the Ayrshire outfit have missed that crucial finance.
Mann has revealed that manager Gary Locke’s player budget has been pared down for the coming season, although part of that reduction is to compensate for the arrival of sports scientist David Sykes and a greater emphasis on fitness.
Mann said: “The effect of Rangers not being in the Premiership hits our revenue, probably by between £100,000 to £200,000 down compared to had they been in.
“But frankly, because they were not good enough to be here we just have to deal with that.
“The new league sponsorship deal with Ladbrokes will be helpful in introducing some fresh revenues to the club but equally we’re spending more money on David Sykes.
“If we can get another 500 fans through the gates, that’s worth nearly £200,000 to the club so that’s really important.”
Speaking to www.kilmarnockfc.co.uk, Mann added: “It’s getting the talent on the park, getting the results on the park, delivering excitement, getting the energy levels and getting more people through the door – that’s the core thing we have to do. That’s the essence of a football club.”
