Premiership rugby club Sale Sharks slipped to a pre-tax loss during its latest financial year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, new accounts have confirmed.
The Greater Manchester side have reported a loss of £869,665 for the 12 months to June 30, 2020, compared to a profit of £3.6m during the prior year.
The club's turnover also decreased from £10.2m to £9.3m over the same period.
A statement signed off by the board said: "Covid-19 continued to cause disruption with the 2019/20 season finally concluding in October 2020 behind closed doors.
"The 2020/21 season commenced in November 2020 and concluded in June 2021.
"All games were played behind closed doors other than the final two games of the season which had a limited number of fans.
"Plans for a future stadium and community sports village in Sale were abandoned in December 2020."
Ged Mason, Simon and Michelle Orange bought the club in 2016.
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In a recent open letter to fans, the owners said: "It’s been a memorable season on the pitch for us all at Sale Sharks as we reached our first Premiership semi-final in 15 years.
"We came up against a talented Exeter Chiefs side on the day and they came out on top. But we’re all so proud of what the players have achieved and we promise that we’ll do everything in our power to make sure this is just the start.
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"We also know it’s been a challenging and immensely difficult time off the field as well for so many of you but despite everything that the last 15 months has thrown at you, your support for your club has never wavered.
"On behalf of everyone at the club, thank you. We promise that we don’t take that support for granted – in fact, we’ve all felt it every time the players took to the field, even if the stands were empty. We can’t wait until you’re all back where you belong."
They added: "This season we also appointed Sid Sutton as our new CEO and under Sid’s guidance, everyone at Carrington is working so hard to make sure next season builds on this one across all departments.
"The future is so bright and we hope you’re as excited as we are about what’s to come because together, we can achieve anything."