Liverpool could refund £3.7m to season-ticket holders as part of £21m loss

Liverpool are likely to offer refunds to season-ticket holders in the region of £3.7 million due to their being unable to attend in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Stadiums in the UK are months away from allowing access to the public, with it highly unlikely mass gatherings of any kind will be sanctioned by the government this year.

This comes due to the spread of coronavirus and its risk to general health, and the resumption of ‘normal’ activity is low on the list of priorities at this moment in time.

The Premier League is expected to return in June, but in drastically different conditions, with games played behind closed doors and in a reduced timeframe to ensure the campaign’s completion at a reasonable date.

But with no supporters in attendance, clubs are facing significant bills for fees already paid by season-ticket holders who are now out of pocket.

According to the Mail, this could result in a combined loss of around £177 million across the Premier League based on season-ticket and matchday revenues.

This is described as a “real and imminent concern for all clubs,” who will be liable to refund fans a major source of their income, while also losing out on another entirely.

Liverpool are said to generate £17.6 million in season-ticket revenue, which could lead to a £3.7 million refund for fans based on the remaining four home games, while a matchday revenue of £84.2 million means a loss of £21.4 million overall.

It is suggested that clubs could offer a “like-for-like discount on next season’s tickets,” which would effectively stall their loss of outlay, but there is no telling when fans will be able to attend even in 2020/21.

The first five months of the season are likely to be a no-go at least, which based on this campaign would rule out 10 home games to the cost of £9.2 million.

This is on top of all manner of other financial issues clubs are facing due to the suspension of football, including TV payments and player wages, which could spell disaster for some of the smaller outfits in the Premier League.