Jonty wrote: ↑Sun Jun 14, 2026 6:34 pm
Here’s an article written in the “In Cumbria” magazine June 2026. Thought it was worth putting up. There some assumptions and estimates, Some of the financial figures ie- 70–75% revenue reduction and the £6.7m League Two revenue are estimates that would need checking. There is a message that club are looking to bounce straight back. Not sure whether anyone from the club has had input to it or whether the author has picked up the soundbites from the relegation.
Anyway- here it is. A fairly balanced article.
“Holker Street was a scene of sorrow on the afternoon of May 2. The club had officially lost its place in the English Football League, finishing bottom of the division.
In truth, it had been a long time coming. After winning just nine games under five different managers in 2025/26, Barrow AFC had simply given themselves too much to do.
Faint hopes of a great escape on the final day of the season were dashed by another defeat – this time to relegation rivals Newport County – but results elsewhere meant even a victory would not have been enough to keep them up anyway.
After half a dozen seasons in League Two, it was all over.
As relegation was confirmed, the Barrow AFC board did not sugarcoat anything, calling the campaign for what it was: “What an awful season.”
Six years is a long time in sport. Back in 2020, the Bluebirds were playing such attractive football that they had been nicknamed “Barrowcelona” by fans and press – boasting some of the best stats in the league for ball retention and passing that shot them to the top of the division.
Covid cut the fixture list short, but by then, “Barrowcelona” had already done enough to secure promotion on points per game, finishing the 2019/20 season as champions.
A piece in The Athletic said the club had done this despite a “bottom-six budget” with an “average weekly salary [of] about £750”.
Ticket sales swelled before the pandemic struck, with the playing style and winning streak convincing Barrow locals that they didn’t have to turn on the Champions League to watch a good game of football. They had an exciting club on their own doorstep.
There was a feel-good factor around Holker Street, with Barrow settling in League Two and even pushing for promotion to the third tier. Crowds in 2023/24 reached almost 4,000.
But after failing to build on their promotion pushes, the club has suffered the worst of fates – slipping into a relegation battle which they were unable to win.
The club didn’t envisage returning to this level so soon, nor do they want to stick around. Falling out of the English Football League (EFL) comes with a reputational and economic blow, and the plan is for immediate promotion next time around.
“Relegation doesn’t define us, it’s just a moment in time, and we’ll come back stronger,” the board assured, claiming the owners were “acutely aware of what had gone wrong”.
The club has rushed to rectify the situation, confirming the departure of CEO Iain Wood, who had been at the club for four years, and exits of various coaches and medical heads. Many players have followed out the door.
The club faces its biggest financial challenge for years, and the Bluebirds do not have to look far to learn how damaging the drop down to the National League can be.
Fellow Cumbrians Carlisle United are still languishing outside the EFL after going down in 2025 – losing just over £5 million in that period, although the owners did invest heavily in facilities, hospitality, and commercial growth during this period.
Other case studies include Sutton United, who lost £4m the year they dropped out of League Two (compared to £2m the previous year), and Forest Green Rovers, who lost more than £3m.
The drop to non-league is an expensive fall, and the data puts this into context.
Barrow AFC showed losses of more than £1m in the most recent financial year, which will likely rise in 2026 as ticket sales – a key revenue driver – dipped to a 2,800 average attendance over 2026.
If attendances decline further – which is a possibility in a lower division – there will be further financial challenges. Assuming match day revenue per head is around £15 to £20 (tickets, food, drink), and crowds fall by around 1,000, over the course of 23 home games, revenue could theoretically tumble by at least £400,000.
The club will also have a big call to make on season ticket prices, as fans may expect a price reduction to entice them back to watch non-league football again.
A scheme known as parachute payments offers a degree of relief for clubs that slip out of League Two. Under current rules, Barrow will get a support payment in their first year in the National League, and an additional, smaller package if they remain in the division for a second year. But this will be modest financial support in comparison with the privileges Barrow received when it was in the EFL.
League Two clubs receive approximately £1.5 million per season from central EFL distributions, broadcasting deals, solidarity payments, and facility fees when matches are selected for television. The per-club income in the National League is a fraction of EFL distributions.
Clubs in the National League also tend to generate lower revenue – roughly £1.5 to £2.0 million per year on average. In League Two, club estimated revenue is approximately £6.7 million per year.
This represents a potential total revenue reduction of up to 70 to 75% if Barrow cannot offset losses through commercial activity.
The board has offered reassurance that it has already “crunched the numbers” regarding relegation, and the split ownership structure at the club theoretically protects the club from any immediate danger. Any trading losses are absorbed rather than taking on debt, but there is only so much money the board can put in before the funds run dry.
Each season outside the EFL makes it more expensive for investors. And every one of them – including the fan-backed Bluebirds Trust which owns 10 per cent – will recognise that a swift return to League Two is a financial necessity.
The silver lining, of course, is that Barrow have done it all before. Supporters still remember that famous Barrowcelona side that finished as champions in 2020. And there is hope a rebuild can create another memorable chapter for the club.
But no one will care if the Bluebirds adopt ugly long ball tactics this season to grind out wins. Just so long as the results come.
