Ayr United admit they faced a year of “significant hurdles” both on and off the park – after posting their latest financial figures.
The club’s accounts show a loss of £187,000 to the year ending June 2024. It followed a challenging year in which United finished only seventh in the Championship and underwent a change in first team management last January, recruiting Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker to lead their fight against relegation.
In reporting their figures, United pointed to a lower than budgeted league finish but said that while a disappointing season overall, staying in the Championship had been “vital” to the club’s long term strategy.
Due to injuries sustained during the preseason, the playing budget was “increased late in the close season window to remain competitive,” with Ayr adding players “particularly in the central midfield positions.”
The club also functioned all year long without its hospitality area because the new North Stand, which opened in July 2024, was still under construction.
United did, though, see “significant gains” in terms of income, with the big money sale of Dipo Akinyemi to York City and a Scottish Cup tie at Rangers coming as a welcome boost.
The Honest Men have since enjoyed a more fruitful last 12 months on the pitch with a sustained Championship title challenge which will see Brown’s side contest the promotion play-offs at the very least.
Club chairman David Smith, who financed the Somerset Hub and North Stand capital projects, has also moved to purchase eight acres of land behind Somerset Park’s Railway End as part of a long term strategy to enhance infrastructure and sustainability.
In their report, the club said that whilst it was “disappointing to report a substantial loss,” the United board were content that they were “well placed to take advantage of the new North Stand, our dynamic young management team and the energy around Somerset Park.
“We will continue to be bold in terms of risk management without jeopardising the club’s continued sustainability.
“Our key targets remain of maximising our playing budget for success on the pitch whilst continuing the building blocks of infrastructure off the pitch,” they stated.
