Welcome to another edition of The Breakdown, the podcast that takes a look behind the week that was at the Deva Stadium.
On the pitch right now, things seem to be going pretty swimmingly under interim boss Connell Rawlinson, with the 1-0 win over league leaders AFC Fylde on Saturday catapulting Chester into the play-off places in the National League North with two games to go.
This episode is taking a look away from matters on the pitch, with football finance guru Kieran Maguire, the author of The Price of Football and co-host of the hugely popular podcast of the same name, joining us to talk about the Blues, the state of finances in the lower leagues, and what the future might hold.
Back in November, Chester published their financial accounts for the year ending May 2025, the headline figures being a £53,000 profit, revenues of more than £1.6m, matchday revenue up £154,000 to £811,000, commercial income coming in £23,000 above budget at £258,000, and club reserves sitting at £268,000.
Chester have to exist in the black as a fan-owned football club, and there isn’t a credit facility there to support them if they should falter, nor a willing benefactor ready to pump in millions upon millions for little to no (emphasis on the no) financial gain.
The Premier League, the EFL and National League clubs have seen huge losses in recent times, with hundreds of thousands haemorrhaged by clubs per week, and millions per year.
It feels like football could be hurtling towards a full-blown crisis, or is it just the way things are now? If rich people wish to lose lots of money, so let them.
Kieran and Dave Powell talk football finance.
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