Club Update, October 2025
As we approach the end of our third year working together for the club as its Board of Directors, we would like to give our supporters and volunteers insight and transparency into where we stand currently, and where we are looking to head moving into 2026.
As many of you will be aware, we took the reins in January 2023 and quickly found that the club was looking at a loss of just over £115,000 for the year ending May 2023.
We then started the 2023/24 season with a high playing and coaching budget already committed in the hope that we could challenge for the league and progress far in cup competions. Unfortunately, this did not go to plan, and although we managed to increase turnover by over £40,000, we recorded a loss of £116,000 for the financial year ending in May 2024 – a financial situation not aided by key injuries and the need to sign replacement players, and ever-mounting costs.
We have just submitted our 2024/25 season accounts for season 24/25 for audit. Early indications suggest that we are looking at losses just over £70,000. We have once again successfully increased revenue and reduced our playing and coaching costs, but as you will see from the projected loss, there is still work to do.
We had been targeting a 60% reduction in loss from last season, and we are disappointed that we have fallen short of that target. The additional unforeseen costs can be explained mostly through increases to stadium rent, insurance premiums and energy costs. Floodlight failure also required fast remedy, and we also made the difficult decision to change our managerial staff and to make additional funds available to our new manager in order to secure our Lowland League status – something which we were able to achieve, with critical importance.
We firmly believe the club is now in a much better position on and off the field than we have been in the previous two seasons. We have a young, hungry playing squad under the direction of a skilled management team that shares our ethos and vision for the club, and we are progressing in the right direction in terms of our competitiveness.
However, we are not completely out of the woods, with losses being covered by loans from directors, and the likelihood that losses for next year will be similar to those reported for 2024/5. We are fiercely proud of this club – our facilities, playing surface, fan experience and of course our excellent team behind the scenes are all second to none at this level. Yet while we believe that all of these things make our club very special, we also have to accept that our running costs are higher than other clubs operating at Tier 5, and it is a very real challenge to manage costs while maintaining high standards in every facet of our operations. This challenge is made all the greater by our status as one of the few clubs at this level operating as a PLC, which makes us liable for 20% VAT deductions on tickets, sponsorships, hospitality, matchday concessions, most merchandise, and more besides.
We remain deeply grateful and humbled by the support shown by fans of the club near and far, by our sponsors, and by our dedicated volunteer team. We have sought to repay your loyalty by freezing attendance prices season on season, working hard to ensure our membership and sponsor packages remain good value for money, and listening to your feedback on all sorts of issues. As directors, we have invested immense amounts of time, money and effort to keep the club going, with our families making sacrifices in order for us to do this. We remain deeply committed to our local football club, and firmly believe that Berwick upon Tweed is a better town for having a strong community football club at its heart.
We have been immensely proud of the progress we have made as a club within the community in the past 3 years – establishing Berwick Rangers Community Academy, Berwick Rangers Women’s FC and 3 excellently coached youth teams, running free football camps in school holidays, organising Christmas meals and present donations, or inviting community groups to our ground on matchdays. We are continually seeking ways to develop this work even further, as we see strong community links as a vital part of the long term future of the club.
With all of the above in mind, the club would like to invite any fans who feel they can give their skills, effort, and time to support us. We are always happy to hear fans’ ideas and suggestions, and want us to push forward together into the next stage of the club’s development. We will also be holding an open meeting to discuss that path in the near future, in the JB Lounge at Shielfield Park. All fans will be welcome to attend, and we will make a summary of the discussion available on the club website so that any fans who aren’t able to attend can also stay informed. To register your interest in the meeting (which will then allow us to plan the meeting effectively), please complete this short form:
https://forms.gle/GnYEfCqG8RoC7VX18
Finally, we would like to record our continued and heartfelt thanks to our groundsman Ross Aitchison, assistant groundsman Colin Thompson, club secretary and president Dennis McCleary, manager Kevin Haynes, his coaching staff and players for their continued professionalism and effort on behalf of Berwick Rangers.
Thanks,
Kevin Dixon (Chairman), and the Board of Directors of Berwick Rangers FC