It is now mid-June and Everton are yet to inform supporters the full pre-season programme in store for the summer.
Everton fans know their side will be heading to Edinburgh in August to face Newcastle United at Murrayfield Stadium.
One thing that is clear is that Everton are struggling to sell tickets for their trip north of the border, with the prices of those tickets being criticised by supporters.
Leaving the announcement so late on is certainly not a great look for The Friedkin Group and it could lead to fewer tickets being sold due to the lack of notice provided to fans.
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However, the Blues could make up for some of the revenue potentially lost out on through a scheme run by FIFA.
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The Friedkins have dramatically boosted Everton’s revenue through hosting non-football events at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It would be easy to come to the conclusion that Everton are, however, leaving some money on the table this summer through potentially harming their ticket sales for their pre-season tour.
Everton News’ finance expert Adam Williams has shared a potential cash windfall scheme that could help the Blues bring in some cash this summer.
“It’s not ideal that Everton haven’t announced their full pre-season programme yet. Looking across the Premier League, it looks like most have now got their summer plans set in stone, but there are several who, like Everton, only have one date in the diary,” Williams told Everton News.
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“They have the World Cup to work around, which I suspect is the reason for the delays. It’s hard to coordinate with teams when you don’t know exactly when players are going to return and in what state of fitness.”
“It does make it potentially more difficult to get as many fans into the Hill Dickinson as possible, which has a knock-on effect on ticket sales, yes.
Williams expects a modest pre-season programme from Everton, which could include a couple of games on the continent paired with some friendlies on British soil.
“On the flip side, they’ll probably make up a significant part of that shortfall with payments from FIFA Club Benefits Programme, which compensates clubs for every day their players are at the World Cup. You could potentially be getting towards seven figures there, looking at the players Everton have released and their prospects in the tournament,” Williams added.
“Also, it sounds as though they are lining up a friendly in Hamburg, for which they’ll probably receive a flat fee rather than a cut of sales. So all in all, the impact of leaving things late in the day won’t be too significant.”
As Williams suggested, there has been speculation of a potential trip to Germany being on the cards for Everton this summer.
It must be stressed that Everton are yet to confirm any of their plans outside of the game in Edinburgh against Newcastle.
Everton are looking to develop their squad again through a well-planned summer transfer market.
The manner in which the club have kicked off their summer preparations does not necessarily scream organisation from the very top of the club.
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