Final Results

Arsenal Holdings plc Results for the year ended 31 May 2008 PROFIT CONFIRMS STRENGTH OF ARSENAL'S FINANCIAL POSITION FOLLOWING MOVE TO EMIRATES STADIUM * Group turnover increased to Â£223.0 million (2007 - Â£200.8 million) reflecting growth in revenues in the core football business but a reduced level of property activity in the year. * Broadcasting income up to Â£68.4 million (2007 - Â£44.3 million) from new Premier League domestic and overseas TV deals but match day income Â£94.6 million (2007 - Â£90.6 million) remained the most important component of the Group's income. * Improvement and extension of key player / management contracts resulted in total wage costs increasing to Â£101.3 million (2007 - Â£89.7 million). * Profit before tax of Â£36.7 million (2007 - Â£26.9 million excluding exceptional costs) confirms success of Emirates Stadium move and strength of Group's financial position. * Group's net debt of Â£318.1 million (2007 - Â£268.2 million) includes Â£133.5 million (2007 - Â£62.9 million) of bank loans used to fund investment in the Highbury Square redevelopment works. * A significant level of property sales activity is anticipated for 2008/09, with a large number of Highbury Square apartments scheduled to be completed and released for sale which is expected to result in a reduction in bank debt. Legal completions from the first phase of 65 apartments released at the end of July have so far generated sales proceeds of Â£18.7 million. The Group remains mindful of the current conditions in the property and mortgage markets. Commenting on the results for the year, Peter Hill-Wood, non-executive chairman, said: "This Club is ambitious for success and I believe that the strong financial position which the Group has established, as confirmed by the results for the year, provides the best possible platform from which to deliver that success for the long-term. We are committed to operating the Club as a business which is financially self-sustaining and over the last two seasons Emirates Stadium has taken our football revenues to a new level, but we cannot be complacent. Accordingly, we recognise the need to further develop the business commercially on a worldwide basis." Arsenal Holdings plc Chairman's report I am pleased to report another year of satisfactory progress against our key objectives of delivering long-term stability and success through the operation of the Club as a business which is self-sustaining. The annual accounts, which show a pre-tax profit of Â£36.7 million (2007 - Â£5.6 million), clearly confirm the strength of the Group's financial position following the move to Emirates Stadium. Your Board strongly believes this financial strength establishes the best possible foundation from which the Club can achieve footballing success long into the future. During the 2007/08 season, the team played some highly entertaining and stylish football. The Club made a strong challenge for the Barclays Premier League title but eventually finished the season, just four points behind the winners, in a respectable third place. In addition, the Club reached the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League and the semi-final stage of the Carling Cup. It was disappointing to see honours elude us last season, particularly by such a narrow margin. However, we have every confidence in the playing squad and we are optimistic of the prospects for the 2008/09 campaign. Clearly, the level of competition both domestically and in Europe will once again be very high, but we are ambitious for success and keen to see the Club add to the seven major trophies it has so far won during ArsÃ¨ne Wenger's term as manager. Following our victory over FC Twente in the third qualifying round, we have now reached the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League for the 11th consecutive year - a record of which we are very proud. Our successful leverage of Emirates Stadium's facilities is providing opportunities for the Group over and above those derived from the core business of staging the Club's competitive fixtures. There is no doubt that Emirates Stadium has become a serious contender for the staging of major non-football events and the proof of this potential has been a string of new awards including Business Venue of the Year (2007 Visit London Awards), Best Major Project (2007 British Construction Industry Awards) and the Tourism Gold Award from Meet Britain's Business (2008). The stadium's standing as a first class venue was further enhanced in March when it played host to a summit between Gordon Brown and French president Nicolas Sarkozy; the two political leaders held a joint press conference with the world's media in attendance. At the end of May music legend Bruce Springsteen played to two nights of sell-out audiences immediately establishing a reputation for Emirates Stadium as a non-football entertainment venue. Although the window between the end of the playing season and the start of work on renovating the pitch for the new season is relatively short, the staging of music events is certainly something we will consider again for the future. We have now successfully staged two Emirates Cups, in pre-season 2007 and 2008, and in March 2008 we played host to a third international friendly - Brazil v Sweden. We hope to continue with both the Emirates Cup and high quality non-Arsenal fixtures as regular features in the Emirates Stadium calendar. We recognise that the Club's operations have an impact on the local, national and global environment and during the year we have introduced a number of initiatives in order to try and operate as a more environmentally friendly organisation. We now have a dedicated recycling area in the stadium's underground car park and on average we are recycling 10 tonnes per month of glass, cardboard and plastic which would previously have been sent to landfill. Other new initiatives in the year included progression of our supporter Contact Centre project. This brings together box office, home shopping, tours, travel and Junior Gunners operations for both telephone and e-mail handling and is designed to ensure an enhanced level of service is available to all of our supporters. The initial responses to the roll-out of this project have been encouraging. On the property side of the business, the year has seen significant progress and investment in the Highbury Square development where the construction work is now moving toward its final stages. We are, of course, paying close attention to the conditions in the property and mortgage markets but we remain confident that Highbury Square represents a genuinely unique residential scheme in an excellent location. This view is supported by the sales position to date which continues to be positive. We have so far marketed 655 of the development's 680 private residential apartments and 598 of these are the subject of exchanged sale contracts. We have also completed the sale of all of the social housing elements of the development. The first wave of 65 finished apartments in the South Stand were released on schedule at the end of July. Given the strong football memories we all have of Highbury it is remarkable to consider the transformation which means that our former home now has its first new owners in residence Our other major remaining property development site is at Queensland Road and we have formulated and recently submitted planning applications for the redevelopment of this site which are currently being reviewed by Islington Council. The two new major shareholders which I mentioned in my report at this time last year - Red and White Securities Limited and KSE UK Inc. - have both increased their shareholdings. However, the Board's "lock-down" arrangement, which was announced in October 2007, enables the continued stability of ownership for the Club at least to the date of its expiry in 2012. I am delighted to confirm that E. Stanley Kroenke has accepted the Board's invitation to become a non-executive director of Arsenal. Mr Kroenke fully supports the approach the Board has taken in setting the direction of the Club and we believe his experience in sports team commercial management, sports marketing, media and new media rights as well as real estate development will be of great value. Mr Kroenke is not a party to the "lock-down" arrangement entered into by the other members of the Board. Mr Kroenke is the shareholder in Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE), the leading live sports and entertainment group based in Denver, Colorado. In April this year KSE acquired from ITV plc a 50% share in Arsenal Broadband Limited and at the same time entered into a strategic partnership with the Club through Colorado Rapids, the KSE franchise. The year saw the departure of managing director Keith Edelman and, once again, I would like to express our thanks for his contribution over the last eight years. We are actively engaged in seeking a replacement and will make an announcement in due course. On the Field A look back at the first team's 2007/08 season elicits mixed emotions. There is no doubt that the football played by ArsÃ¨ne Wenger's side was often at a truly exceptional level, however, despite winning many plaudits, trophies were again to prove elusive. The Premier League campaign yielded 83 points, some 15 points more than the previous season, and only three defeats yet only a third-placed finish. A fine `double' over Tottenham Hotspur and an emphatic away win against Everton were particular highlights. International call-ups and injuries - not least that which was suffered by our Croatian forward Eduardo at, perhaps, a pivotal point of his debut season - depleted the squad in the new year and this proved telling in the months of February and March when four consecutive draws considerably hampered the title challenge. Despite taking the lead in both games, the team then slipped to narrow defeats at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford which confirmed that the championship would not be heading to Emirates Stadium. In the UEFA Champions League, a relatively straightforward Group Stage was followed by the glamour of a tie with reigning holders AC Milan. The excitement and pride felt by everybody connected with the Club following a famous 2-0 win at the San Siro, which secured progress to the quarter-finals, was considerable. However, domestic rivals Liverpool put an end to the European campaign on a dramatic night at Anfield in which a late Emmanuel Adebayor goal seemed to have earned us a place in the last four, only for two further strikes by the hosts to decide otherwise. There were mixed fortunes in the domestic cups. Another fine Carling Cup run emphasized again the quality and depth of young talent which the Club is developing. The semi-finals were reached in some style although Tottenham Hotspur then prevailed through to the final. Early FA Cup successes against Burnley and Newcastle United were offset when a weakened side was beaten at Old Trafford in the fifth round of the competition Despite the disappointment felt at a season without winning a trophy, there can be no denying that progress was made in 2007/08. It is notable that Emirates Stadium is proving to be a significant factor in the team's success - we remained unbeaten in all the 28 home matches played last season and, in fact, only one competitive game has been lost of the 58 played at our new home. Congratulations are again due to Vic Akers and his Arsenal Ladies side, who continued their remarkable record in recent years with a League and FA Women's Cup `double'. Player Transfers During the close season, the Club welcomed four new players to its first team squad. Wales Under-21 international Aaron Ramsey joined on a long-term contract from Championship side Cardiff City. 17 year-old midfielder Ramsey became the youngest player ever to represent Wales at Under-21 level in August 2007 and he has also already been called up to the full Welsh squad. Ramsey progressed through the youth ranks at Cardiff City and also became the youngest ever player to represent the Bluebirds, coming on as a substitute in a league match against Hull City on 28th April 2007, at just 16 years 124 days, breaking the previous record set by John Toshack. Since making his debut for Cardiff City, Ramsey went on to make a total of 22 appearances for the Welsh side, including a substitute appearance in last season's FA Cup Final. The Club was also delighted to secure the signing of French international Samir Nasri who joined us from Olympique de Marseille on a long-term contract. 21 year-old Nasri, who appeared for his country in Euro 2008, was voted the French Ligue 1 `Young Player of the Year' for 2006/07 and was also Olympique de Marseille's Player of the Year for 2007. As an attacking midfielder, he made 145 appearances (scoring 11 goals) for Olympique de Marseille, during which time they won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2005, were French Cup runners-up in 2006 and 2007 and secured third place in Ligue 1 in the 2007/08 season. His first Arsenal goal was scored just 4 minutes from the start of his debut Premier League appearance. The Club also completed the signing of midfielder Amaury Bischoff. The French-born Portugal Under-21 international was a youngster with French clubs SR Colmar and RC Strasbourg before moving to Werder Bremen in 2005. Bischoff, who is 21 years old, was a regular at youth levels for Werder Bremen. His one senior appearance for the Bundesliga club came against Celta Vigo in the UEFA Cup in 2007. He has played for France's Under-18 team, however in 2007 he elected to train with Portugal and to date has appeared for their Under-21 side. French International Mikael Silvestre joined the club from Manchester United on a two year contract. Silvestre spent nine seasons with Manchester United, winning six domestic trophies. He has also made forty appearances for France, winning two Confederation Cups and reaching the World Cup final in 2006. The Club extends a warm welcome to Aaron, Samir, Amaury and Mikael, together with all the `First Year Scholars' joining our Youth Development programme this summer. We wish them all the best of luck during their Arsenal careers. The close season saw the departure of five first team squad players. Mathieu Flamini left the Club to join Italian Serie A side AC Milan on a free transfer. Flamini made a total of 153 appearances for the Club, scoring 8 times, and won an FA Cup Winner's medal in 2005. He played at full back in the team's run to the UEFA Champions League Final in 2006. The summer also saw Jens Lehmann depart Arsenal and join German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart on a free transfer. Lehmann joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2003 and went on to make a total of 199 appearances for the Club. Lehmann is a UEFA Champions League record holder after 853 minutes without conceding a goal in the tournament during the team's run to the 2006 final in Paris. Lehmann was part of the `Invincibles' squad which completed an unbeaten Premier League title season in 2003/04 and was the Club's hero at the 2005 FA Cup Final, saving Paul Scholes' penalty in a shoot-out win over Manchester United. Another leaver during the close season, was Alexander Hleb, who joined Barcelona. Hleb signed for Arsenal from German side VfB Stuttgart in June 2005 and made a total of 129 appearances during his time with the Club, scoring 11 goals. Hleb became the first Belarusian to appear in a UEFA Champions League Final when he played for the Club against Barcelona in the 2006 final. Alex was voted Belarusian footballer of the year in 2005 and 2006. Over the summer long-serving midfielder Gilberto left the Club to join Greek side Panathinaikos. Gilberto spent a total of six seasons with the Club, after joining in the summer of 2002 from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro. During his time with Arsenal, Gilberto made a total of 244 appearances in all competitions, scoring 24 goals and he was an integral part of the `Invincibles' squad which completed the entire 2003/04 Premier League campaign unbeaten. In addition to his League Championship winner's medal in 2004, the Brazilian also won the FA Cup twice - in 2003 and 2005 and the Community Shield in 2002 and 2004. Justin Hoyte also left the club during the summer to join Middesbrough FC. The former England U-21 International joined the club at the age of nine and after making his debut in 2003, went onto make 68 first team appearances. We wish Mathieu, Jens, Alexander, Gilberto and Justin well for their future careers and thank them all for the major contribution they made to Arsenal Football Club. Commercial Partners Arsenal has continued to develop its commercial partner programme over the 2007 /08 season. From a sponsorship perspective we are fortunate to be in a position where we are working closely with many high profile brands. During the year, Ebel joined our partner programme as official timing partner and we are also delighted to welcome CitroÃ«n, as the Club's official car partner, for the start of the 2008/09 season. We delivered our most successful merchandise figures ever during the 2007/08 season on the back of new second and third choice Nike kits and continuing excellence in own brand apparel, gifts and souvenirs delivered by S'porter, our retail partner. These results were assisted by a temporary store established in Enfield for the period ahead of Christmas 2007. A major overhaul of our Finsbury Park shop has been undertaken and a new store has recently been opened in St Albans. Further off-site stores are planned for the future. Internationally, our merchandise business is also growing. Our Thai partner BEC Tero now has fourteen retail outlets for Arsenal merchandise, including a new flagship store in Phuket, Thailand. More distribution partnerships will be established for official club merchandise in other territories in the coming financial year. Arsenal has been involved in other international activity which both improves the profile of the Club and drives revenues. Tiger Beer will continue to be Arsenal's Official Beer in South East Asia for another three years. In Vietnam, the Club has secured sponsorship with Vinamilk, Gree Electrics and ICP which will positively impact on the Club's local profile. Financial service partnerships have been secured in Indonesia and Nigeria with Bank Danamon and UBA respectively. Local language official Arsenal websites in China, Korea, and Thailand continue to be used by over 300,000 local fans each month. The international Arsenal Soccer Schools programme continues to advance. High quality facilities have opened in Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and represent further grassroots investment. Arsenal now has sixteen affiliated Soccer Schools abroad. The Club has made its first major entry into India with a high profile Arsenal football roadshow supported by Tata Tea. Closer to home, Emirates Stadium has hosted a wide range of organisations for a variety of conference, banqueting and meeting events. The stadium provides a flexible and unique venue and along with our catering partner Delaware North we have become expert in hosting high quality functions. In addition, Emirates Stadium welcomed over 80,000 visitors on a variety of stadium tours during the 2007/08 season. Emirates Stadium also hosts the production facility and studio used to broadcast Arsenal TV, which was successfully launched in January. The channel is part of the Setanta Sports package of channels and is also available through Virgin Media reaching approximately 5 million homes in the UK and Eire. We are extremely pleased with the quality of the programming and presentation, with much credit going to our production partner Input Media. Feedback from fans has been positive and consequently broadcasting hours have been increased for the 2008/09 season. Our joint venture partner in the Arsenal.com website business changed, following ITV's sale of their 50% shareholding to KSE, and we now look forward to further developing this already successful website operation alongside KSE. During the year we also ended our own commercial relationship with ITV. All commercial development, including the Arsenal licensing programme, is now undertaken in house. We would like to thank ITV for all the hard work expended on the Club's commercial programme and their contribution to our commercial success over the last few years. Charity of the Season Treehouse, the national charity for autism education, became Arsenal's nominated charity for season 2007/08 taking over from The Willow Foundation. Treehouse was established in 1997 by a group of parents of autistic children and it aims to transform the lives of all children with autism and the lives of their families, by increasing the quantity and quality of autism education. The Club's partnership with Treehouse was a great success raising a record breaking Â£519,000 for the charity. Financial Review The results for the year show a very satisfactory outcome and provide a further confirmation of the strong financial position which the Group occupies following its move to Emirates Stadium. Overall the Group increased its turnover from Â£200.8 million to Â£223.0 million and recorded a profit before taxation for the year of Â£36.7 million compared with Â£5.6 million (stated after exceptional charges of Â£21.4 million) in the previous year. 2008 2007 Â£m Â£m Group turnover 223.0 200.8 ----- ----- Operating profit before depreciation and 59.6 51.2 player trading Player trading 5.2 0.2 Depreciation (11.6) (9.6) Joint venture 0.5 0.4 Ordinary finance charges (17.0) (15.3) ----- ----- Profit before tax and exceptional items 36.7 26.9 ----- ----- Profit before tax after exceptional items 36.7 5.6 ----- ----- Continued growth in revenue and profit in our core football business, including the benefit of the new Premier League TV contracts for season 2007/08, was balanced by a year of lower sales activity and a break-even operating return in the Group's property development business. The results of the football and property development segments will be considered in more detail later in this review. In terms of the Group's balance sheet, the most significant change reflects the progress made toward completion of the Highbury Square residential development and the investment in this project was the main reason that the carrying value of development property stocks increased during the year to Â£188.0 million (2007 - Â£100.1 million). The Group's overall net debt position rose to Â£318.1 million (2007 - Â£268.2 million). This increase in debt, which was anticipated both in last year's annual report and this year's interim statement, reflects the loans drawn down in funding the Highbury Square construction works. This level of net debt is expected to represent a peak for the Group with the level diminishing throughout 2008/09 as sale completions occur at Highbury Square. The Highbury Square bank loan is included, on the basis of its projected repayment profile from receipts of sale completions, as part of creditors falling due within one year although the actual term date for the repayment of this loan facility extends to April 2010. Segmental Operating Results 2008 2007 Â£m Â£m Football Turnover 207.7 177.0 Operating profit* 59.6 42.2 Profit before tax and exceptional items 39.7 20.8 Property development Turnover 15.3 23.8 Operating profit* - 9.0 (Loss) / profit before tax and exceptional (3.0) 6.1 items Group Turnover 223.0 200.8 Operating profit* 59.6 51.2 Profit before tax and exceptional items 36.7 26.9 *= operating profit before depreciation and player trading costs Football Segment The football business increased its turnover to Â£207.7 million (2007 - Â£177.0 million). This increase was mainly driven by the new Premier League domestic and overseas TV deals. The uplift in the value of these contracts, together with the levels of live coverage associated with our prominent challenge for the title and favourable exchange rates on Â£:â‚¬ conversion of UEFA Champions League distributions to the quarter final stage, meant that total broadcasting revenues rose by some Â£24 million to in excess of Â£68 million. The main component of our turnover continues to be gate and match day revenue which at Â£94.6 million (2007 - Â£90.6 million) represents some 45% of total football revenues and 42% of the Group's total revenues. There were 28 first team home fixtures in season 2007/08 which is one more than in the previous year and the average attendance was 59,720 (2007 - 59,850). We have been very successful in generating event income from our new home outside of the competitive first team fixture list; during the year Emirates Stadium hosted the inaugural Emirates Cup pre-season tournament which generated more than Â£4 million of ticket sales over two days, an international friendly fixture between Brazil and Sweden and two Bruce Springsteen concerts. The continued growth in our retail turnover to Â£13.1 million (2007 - Â£ 12.1 million) and commercial revenues to Â£31.3 million (2007 - Â£29.5 million) has been referred to in the Commercial Partners section of the Chairman's Report. We remain firmly committed to sustained investment in the development of the playing squad in a market-place where the income from the new Premier League TV contracts has inevitably created a significant upward pressure on both transfer prices and players' wage expectations. During the year we have improved and extended the contract terms of a large number of first team players and, of course, of ArsÃ¨ne Wenger himself. As a result, for the first time, the Group's wage bill has exceeded nine figures at Â£101.3 million (Â£2007 - Â£89.7 million). The wage/turnover ratio for the year, on a football segment basis, remained broadly stable at 48.8% (2007 - 50.6%) and continues to fall within our target range. Taking into account these changes in revenues and operating costs the operating profit (before depreciation and player trading) from football increased to Â£ 59.6 million (2007 - Â£42.2 million). Property Segment Revenue in the property segment fell to Â£15.3 million (2007 - Â£23.8 million) as sales activity was limited to the granting of certain leasehold interests and contracting work within the social housing element of the Highbury Square development. The previous year contained the sale of a major development site at Drayton Park. Profit from this Highbury Square sales activity was balanced by the carrying costs of our development site at Queensland Road such that the overall operating result from property was break-even (2007 - profit of Â£9.0 million). We have now secured all of the land interests in the Queensland Road site, which lies to the south of Emirates Stadium, and we continue to progress the design of an appropriate redevelopment scheme and detailed planning permission for the site. This is proving to be a complex process - blending a mix of residential, commercial and regenerative elements - and we will not be able to finalise an on-sale of the site until it is complete. Construction work at the Group's main development site, Highbury Square, has continued at an intensive level throughout the year and remains very much on a schedule which will see the completion of the majority of the residential units over the next year. We are, of course, mindful and vigilant of the difficult conditions which currently exist in the property and mortgage markets in general. That said, we remain confident that Highbury Square represents a genuinely unique residential scheme in an excellent location. This view is supported by the sales position to date which continues to be positive. We have so far marketed 655 of the development's 680 private residential apartments and 598 of these are the subject of exchanged sale contracts. The first wave of 65 finished apartments in the South Stand was released at the end of July and sales have so far completed on apartments having a revenue value of Â£18.7 million. Sales as achieved will be included in the Group's 2008/09 financial results. Player Trading A profit of Â£26.5 million (2007 - Â£18.5 million) from the sale of player registrations means that overall player trading produced a surplus of Â£5.2 million for the year (2007 - Â£0.2 million). The main contributions to the disposal profit came from the sales of Henry, Ljungberg, Reyes, Aliadiere and Diarra which I believe highlights the fact that selling players at a profit is a by-product of ArsÃ¨ne Wenger's astute management of the long-term development of the playing squad rather than an objective in itself. The terms of certain past sales mean that we continue to gain additional fees as a number of former players, such as Fabrice Muamba and David Bentley, achieve success in their post-Arsenal careers. The Board's policy continues to be that the proceeds of any player sales are always made available for re-investment back into the development of the team. Finance Charges The net interest charge for the year was Â£17.0 million (2007 - Â£15.3 million of ordinary charges and Â£21.4 million of exceptional charges). The increase reflects a full year's charge on the stadium financing bonds, whereas in the previous year interest costs on this debt were capitalised up to the date of Emirates Stadium's opening. Finance costs of Â£5.0 million attributable to bank loans drawn specifically to fund property development expenditure during the year were capitalised within property development stocks. Profit after tax The tax charge for the period was Â£10.9 million (2007 - Â£2.8 million). The effective rate of tax at 29.8% reflects the change in the rate of corporation tax from 30% to 28% for the last two months of the financial year and the conversion of the Group's deferred tax provisions to this new rate of tax. The retained profit for the year of Â£25.7 million (2007 - Â£2.8 million) was the Group's second best ever financial result, bettered only by 2000/01 which was the year in which the Group reported exceptional profits from the part sale of Arsenal.com. Cash Flow and Treasury In order to properly review the Group's cash flow for the year it is necessary to separate out the investment in property development and the related bank funding. Â£m Cash from operations before property stock 61.9 ------ Investment in property stock (82.9) Bank loan funding of property stock 74.9 ------ (8.0) Net receipt from sale of players 4.0 Payment of taxation (4.2) Investment in fixed assets (6.9) ------ Net interest payments (19.7) Repayment of debt (7.7) ------ (27.4) ------ Increase in year-end cash 19.4 ------ The positive cash flow for the year means that the Group had total cash balances of Â£93.3 million at 31 May 2008 (2007 - Â£73.9 million). Whilst this is clearly a very healthy position it should be remembered that there is a strong element of seasonality to the Group's operational cash flow with season ticket renewals during May having a positive impact. In addition, balances of Â£31.5 million (2007 - Â£32.9 million) within the total cash position are debt service bank deposits which form part of the security for the Group's listed bonds and the use of these deposits is restricted. As mentioned above the Group's overall net debt position rose to an overall Â£ 318.1 million (2007 - Â£268.2 million) and this was an expected increase given the use of bank debt to fund the construction works at Highbury Square. The main elements of this net debt are shown in the table below. Emirates Stadium Financing Property Development Financing Debenture Loans Cash Reserves Â£m Â£m Â£m Â£m Start of year (255.2) (64.4) (25.8) 73.9 Movement in year 5.0 (74.9) (0.3) 19.4 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- End of year (250.2) (139.3) (26.1) 93.3 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Term 21-23 yrs 2 years 20-134 yrs N/A Weighted average rate 5.3% 6.6% 0-2.75% N/A Guarantee fee 0.5% - 0.65% - - N/A The largest part of the Group's debt is Â£250.2 million of long-term bonds with fixed rates of interest which have been in place since the refinancing exercise completed in the summer of 2006. A repayment of Â£5.0 million was made during the year in accordance with the terms of the bonds. The annual debt service costs for these bonds, including repayment of capital, is approximately Â£20 million and this figure must always be considered in the context of the significantly increased levels of football operating profit which the Group is achieving following the move to Emirates Stadium. The main element of property development financing is the Highbury Square loan balance which was Â£133.5 million at the balance sheet date (2007 - Â£62.9 million). This loan, which is repayable from the sale proceeds of the development, is ring-fenced from the Group's football activities and the related financing arrangements. Some 73% of this loan balance is at fixed rate by virtue of interest rate swaps in place for that purpose. The Group's debt facilities are expected to be sufficient to fund the completion of its property development projects for the foreseeable future and its operations generally for the long-term. These facilities were put in place before that start of the 2007/08 financial year and, accordingly, the Group has not, to date, experienced any significant direct adverse impact on its financing arrangements as a result of the "credit crunch" and the related turbulence in the financial markets. The Group expects to derive income from the sale of certain property development sites over the next two years - the main element of this being the sale of some 680 private residential apartments at Highbury Square. The achievement of these sales may be affected by the current downturn in the UK property market and the difficult conditions in the mortgage lending sector. The Group is monitoring the position closely. The final profits and cash to be released to the Club on completion of these property developments has not been budgeted by the Club and will be treated as a "bonus" when received - accordingly, there is no commitment to use any such profits and cash at any specific time for any specific purpose. Prospects The Group has made a sound start to the new financial year. We have made a modest ticket price increase for season 2008/09 (2.8% on a weighted average basis) following which general admission and Club Tier season ticket renewals have once again been at the maximum level. The second staging of the Emirates Cup has again proved to be a great commercial success with near capacity attendances to both days of the competition. The sales of Alexander Hleb, Justin Hoyte and a sell-on share receivable on David Bentley's transfer from Blackburn will make a significant contribution to the profits to be reported on the sale of player registrations. The property side of the business will inevitably be of considerable significance to the Group over the next year, with a large number of apartment sales scheduled to complete at Highbury Square and progression of the redevelopment plans for Queensland Road. We will be closely monitoring all stages of the sales completion process. Over 2008/09 the proceeds of Highbury Square sales will largely be used for the repayment of the related bank loans, consequently reducing the Group's net debt from its current peak level. The two sides of the Group's business are financed independently of each other and both the property and football business segments start the year from very sound financial bases. On the field the new season has got off to a promising start. We have successfully negotiated the qualification round of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League to ensure participation in the group phase and this is important to the Club both in competitive and financial terms. This Club is ambitious for success and as always, at the start of the season, our expectations are high. We look forward to supporting the team, as it challenges for trophies, throughout the course of the season. In closing, I would like to pay tribute to my fellow directors, our management team and our entire staff for all of their hard work and dedication over the last year. I would also like to thank our Highbury Square project team and all of our other professional advisers for the support they have provided. Finally, thank you for the fantastic support given to the Club by all of our shareholders, supporters, sponsors and commercial partners. I look forward to welcoming you all again to Emirates Stadium over the course of the new season. P D Hill-Wood Chairman 18 September 2008 Arsenal Holdings plc Consolidated profit and loss account For the year ended 31 May 2008 2008 2007 Note Operations Player Total Operations Player Total excluding trading Â£'000 excluding trading Â£'000 player Â£'000 player Â£'000 trading trading Â£'000 Â£'000 Turnover of the group 224,541 472 225,013 201,443 544 201,987 including its share of joint ventures Share of turnover of (2,043) - (2,043) (1,144) - (1,144) joint venture ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Group turnover 3 222,498 472 222,970 200,299 544 200,843 Operating expenses (174,480) (21,757) (196,237) (158,685) (18,782) (177,467) ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Operating profit/(loss) 48,018 (21,285) 26,733 41,614 (18,238) 23,376 Share of joint venture 469 - 469 435 - 435 operating result Profit on disposal of - 26,458 26,458 - 18,467 18,467 player registrations ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Profit on ordinary 48,487 5,173 53,660 42,049 229 42,278 activities before finance charges ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Net finance charges - (16,992) (15,304) ordinary Net finance charges - - (21,401) exceptional ---------- ---------- Net finance charges (16,992) (36,705) ---------- ---------- Profit on ordinary 36,668 5,573 activities before taxation Taxation (10,942) (2,757) ---------- ---------- Profit after taxation 25,726 2,816 retained for the financial year ---------- ---------- Earnings per share From operations excluding exceptional charges Basic and diluted 4 Â£413.49 Â£286.05 ---------- ---------- From operations after exceptional charges Basic and diluted 4 Â£413.49 Â£45.26 ---------- ---------- Player trading consists primarily of the amortisation of the costs of acquiring player registrations, any impairment charges and profit on disposal of player registrations. All trading resulted from continuing operations. There are no recognised gains or losses in the current or previous year other than those recorded in the consolidated profit and loss account and, accordingly, no statement of total recognised gains and losses is presented. Arsenal Holdings plc Consolidated balance sheet At 31 May 2008 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets 449,517 455,300 Intangible fixed assets 55,665 64,671 Investments 406 76 ---------- ---------- 505,588 520,047 Current assets Stock - development properties 187,964 100,080 Stock - retail merchandise 1,218 1,166 Debtors - due within one year 32,340 31,028 - due after one year 13,939 5,117 Cash at bank and in hand 93,264 73,857 ---------- ---------- 328,725 211,248 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (334,252) (150,017) ---------- ---------- Net current (liabilities)/assets (5,527) 61,231 ---------- ---------- Total assets less current liabilities 500,061 581,278 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one (310,203) (416,120) year Provisions for liabilities and charges (30,758) (31,784) ---------- ---------- Net assets 159,100 133,374 ---------- ---------- Capital and reserves Called up share capital 62 62 Share premium 29,997 29,997 Merger reserve 26,699 26,699 Profit and loss account 102,342 76,616 ---------- ---------- Shareholders' funds 159,100 133,374 ---------- ---------- Arsenal Holdings plc Consolidated cash flow statement For the year ended 31 May 2008 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating activities (21,013) 77,332 Player registrations 4,010 (8,009) Returns on investment and servicing of finance (19,655) (24,603) Taxation (4,177) (54) Capital expenditure (6,944) (37,949) ---------- ---------- Net cash (outflow)/inflow before financing (47,779) 6,717 Financing 67,186 31,542 ---------- ---------- Increase in cash in the year 19,407 38,259 ---------- ---------- Reconciliation of operating profit to net cash inflow 2008 2007 from operating activities Â£'000 Â£'000 Operating profit 26,733 23,376 Amortisation of player registrations 21,757 18,782 Profit on disposal of tangible fixed assets (19) (1,036) Depreciation 11,555 9,698 Increase in stock (82,958) (34,783) (Increase)/decrease in debtors (1,172) 13,792 Increase in creditors 3,091 47,503 ---------- ---------- Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating activities (21,013) 77,332 ---------- ---------- Analysis of changes in net debt At 1 June Non cash Cash flows At 31 May 2007 changes 2008 Â£000 Â£000 Â£000 Â£000 Cash at bank and in hand 73,857 - 19,407 93,264 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- 73,857 - 19,407 93,264 Debt due within one year (bank (5,964) - (136,871) (142,835) and other loans/bonds) Debt due after more than one year (310,627) (1,784) 69,685 (242,726) (bank loans/bonds) Debt due after more than one year (25,463) (313) - (25,776) (debentures) ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Net debt (268,197) (2,097) (47,779) (318,073) ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Non cash changes represent Â£2,064,000 in respect of the amortisation of costs of raising finance, Â£313,000 in respect of rolled up, unpaid debenture interest and Â£280,000 in respect of amortisation of the premium on certain of the Group's interest rate swaps. Arsenal Holdings plc Notes to preliminary results For the year ended 31 May 2008 1. The financial information set out above does not constitute statutory accounts for the purpose of section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The financial information has been extracted from the statutory accounts of Arsenal Holdings plc for the year ended 31 May 2008 which have not yet been filed with the Registrar of Companies, but which were approved by the Board and on which the auditors gave an unqualified report on 18 September 2008. 2. Segmental analysis Class of business:- Football 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Turnover 207,723 177,051 ---------- ---------- Segment operating profit 26,719 14,408 Share of operating profit of joint venture 469 435 Profit on disposal of player registrations 26,458 18,467 Net finance charges (13,947) (33,854) ---------- ---------- Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before 39,699 (544) taxation ---------- ---------- Segment net assets/ (liabilities) 162,138 135,065 ---------- ---------- Class of business:- Property development 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Turnover 15,247 23,792 ---------- ---------- Segment operating profit 14 8,968 Net finance charges (3,045) (2,851) ---------- ---------- Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before taxation (3,031) 6,117 ---------- ---------- Segment net assets/ (liabilities) (3,038) (1,691) ---------- ---------- Class of business:- Group 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Turnover 222,970 200,843 ---------- ---------- Segment operating profit 26,733 23,376 Share of operating profit of joint venture 469 435 Profit on disposal of player registrations 26,458 18,467 Net finance charges (16,992) (36,705) ---------- ---------- Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before 36,668 5,573 taxation ---------- ---------- Segment net assets/ (liabilities) 159,100 133,374 ---------- ---------- 3. Turnover Turnover, all of which originates in the UK, 2008 2007 comprises the following: Â£'000 Â£'000 Gate and other match day revenues 94,580 90,613 Broadcasting 68,360 44,312 Retail 13,052 12,064 Commercial 31,259 29,518 Property development 15,247 23,792 Player trading 472 544 ---------- ---------- 222,970 200,843 ---------- ---------- 4. Earnings per share Earnings per share (basic and diluted) are based on the weighted average number of ordinary shares of the Company in issue - 62,217 shares (2007 - 62,217 shares). The calculation of earnings per share (basic and diluted) is based on the following data:- 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Earnings attributable to equity shareholders 25,726 2,816 (retained profit) Adjustment to exclude exceptional charges net of tax - 14,981 relief ---------- ---------- Earnings for the purpose of earnings per share 25,726 17,797 excluding exceptional charges ---------- ---------- 5. Reconciliation of movement in equity shareholders' funds 2008 2007 Â£'000 Â£'000 Profit for the year 25,726 2,816 Opening equity shareholders' funds 133,374 130,558 ---------- ---------- Closing equity shareholders' funds 159,100 133,374 ---------- ---------- 6. Annual General Meeting The annual general meeting will be held at Emirates Stadium, London, N7, on Thursday 23 October 2008 at 11.30 am. The full statement of accounts and annual report will be posted to shareholders on 23 September 2008.

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