Losses at Prem Rugby champions Northampton Saints halved last season as the Midlands club enjoyed a surge in turnover.
The team, who won their second Prem Rugby title in three years in May, cut losses for last season to £932,000, down from £1.83m the year prior.
Results released by Northampton Saints this morning cited a number of one-off events that helped turnover rise from £22.3m to £25.7m. They included hosting a home Prem Rugby semi-final, revenue from staging matches at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, an extra England fixture, and income from having players selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions. It is reasonable to expect the lack of such factors this season will impact turnover for the 2026-27 financial year.
understands that the club continues to hold conversations about potential investment into the club amid a flurry of interested bidders in Prem Rugby teams. Gloucester Rugby and Leicester Tigers are also in talks about raising fresh capital.
The way Prem Rugby and its clubs finance academy funding prevents Northampton Saints from posting a profit in the region of £200,000, but similar structuring applies across the top flight.
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But Saints’ security relies on the notion that “Prem Rugby, the RFU and other clubs play their part in maintaining compelling rugby competitions to ensure rugby is a successful and flourishing sport,” according to the accounts.
“The Club’s financial position strengthened considerably during the year,” chair Ella Bevan said. “Net debt reduced by £4.5m, while our cash balance increased by £4.8m to £9.0m at 30 June 2026.
“This reflected a combination of generating positive operating cash, proceeds from the issue of new share capital and continued prudent financial management, offset by loan repayments and investment in our facilities and infrastructure.”
Long term, the club, which saw fresh investment earlier this year through Cross Ocean Partners founding partner Steve Zander, is on the hook for £5.8m owed in total to DCMS through taxpayer-funded Covid-19 relief loans.