The directors present the strategic report for the period ended 31 March 2025.
League Midco Limited (the “Company”) was incorporated on 17 June 2024 and is an intermediate holding company.
The Directors are satisfied with the overall performance of the Company in the year with it making a loss before taxation of £(1.5)m in its initial trading period.
The company’s KPIs are focused on financial KPIs which is profit / (loss) before taxation which is presented above within the business review.
Details of the KPIs of the group in which the Company is part of are detailed in the financial statements of its ultimate parent company League Topco Limited.
The Company considers that it has limited risks and uncertainties as its external debt is at a fixed interest rate, is payment in kind rather than cash and is not exposed to any currency fluctuations.
Details of the principal risk and uncertainties of the group in which the Company is part of are detailed in the financial statements of its ultimate parent company League Topco Limited.
The Company is to continue to undertake its current activities as an intermediate holding company.
On behalf of the board
The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the period ended 31 March 2025.
The results for the period are set out on page 7.
No ordinary dividends were paid. The directors do not recommend payment of a final dividend.
The directors who held office during the period and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
Sumer Auditco Limited were appointed as auditor to the company and in accordance with section 485 of the Companies Act 2006, a resolution proposing that they be re-appointed will be put at a General Meeting.
Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
We have audited the financial statements of League Midco Limited (the 'company') for the period ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the statement of changes in equity and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Basis for opinion
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial period for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the Company through discussions with directors and other management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the trade;
We focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the Company;
We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations considered above through making enquiries of management; and
Identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the company's financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by;
Making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and
Considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address the risks of fraud through management bias and override controls, we:
Performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;
Tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
Assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and
Investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.
In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:
Agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;
Reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;
Enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and
Discussions with senior management regarding relevant regulations and reviewing the company's legal and professional fees.
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the director's and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence.
As part of our audit, we addressed the risk of management override of internal controls, including testing of journals and review of the nominal ledger. We evaluated whether there was evidence of bias by the directors that represented a risk of material misstatement due to fraud.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The profit and loss account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
League Midco Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Hull Sports Centre, Chanterlands Avenue, Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom, HU5 4EF.
The company is reporting a short first reporting period in order to align its year end with that of its subsidiary companies. Subsequent reporting periods are expected to run annually to 31 March.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
This company is a qualifying entity for the purposes of FRS 102, being a member of a group where the parent of that group prepares publicly available consolidated financial statements, including this company, which are intended to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the group. The company has therefore taken advantage of exemptions from the following disclosure requirements:
Section 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’: Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;
Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instrument Issues: Interest income/expense and net gains/losses for financial instruments not measured at fair value; basis of determining fair values; details of collateral, loan defaults or breaches, details of hedges, hedging fair value changes recognised in profit or loss and in other comprehensive income;
Section 26 ‘Share based Payment’: Share-based payment expense charged to profit or loss, reconciliation of opening and closing number and weighted average exercise price of share options, how the fair value of options granted was measured, measurement and carrying amount of liabilities for cash-settled share-based payments, explanation of modifications to arrangements;
Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.
The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of League Topco Limited. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office, Hull Sports Centre, Chanterlands Avenue, Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom, HU5 4EF.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.
Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the company transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.
Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as being measured at fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.
In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are as follows.
The intercompany debtor represents loan notes due from a subsidiary company, which was advanced monies to enact a business combination. The recoverability of this loan is therefore substantially linked to the recoverability of the value of the acquired company.
The subsidiary company tests its investments annually for recoverability based on the cash generation of those acquired companies. This uses a discounted cash flow model where the forecasts for the business, the discount rate, and the terminal growth rate are all key inputs to the model.
The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the period was:
The actual charge for the period can be reconciled to the expected credit for the period based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:
The tax rate during the year was 25%, and is expected to continue in the UK at this rate for the foreseeable future.
The company has no tax losses carried forward.
The contribution for share-based payments reflects the fair value of instruments issued by the parent company, League Topco Limited, being pushed to the subsidiary, League Bidco Limited, to reflect the recipients of those instruments being employed by League Bidco Limited. There is a corresponding credit to the capital contribution reserve to reflect the transfer of value from the parent.
All subsidiaries have their registered office at Hull Sports Centre, Chanterlands Avenue, Hull, HU5 4EF.
Details of the company's subsidiaries at 31 March 2025 are as follows:
The loan notes due from the company's subsidiary, League Bidco Limited, carries interest at 12%. The loan is expected to be repaid on an exit being made by the group's parent company, League Topco Limited, which is not expected within 12 months of the period end date. Accordingly the loan is presented as due in more than one year. Details of interest receivable on the loan are shown in note 4.
The other intercompany balance is also due from League Bidco Limited. This is interest free, unsecured, and repayable on demand. However, the loan is not expected to be able to be settled by League Bidco Limited from free cash within 12 months of the period end date, and therefore this has been presented as due within more than one year.
Amounts owed to group undertakings are repayable on demand and carry interest at a variable rate.
Details of the terms on the loan notes are provided in note 12.
Investor loan notes
These were incepted in July 2024 with a value of £17,942,700, with further drawdowns of £2,379,618 during the period. The loan carries interest at a fixed rate of 12%, which is accrued and rolled up to the principle quarterly as a payment in kind (with the period end being a quarter end roll date). The total interest capitalised as part of the loan during the period is £1,579,737, resulting in the carrying value of the loan note at £21,902,055.
The loan is secured by way of a fixed and floating charge over all assets of the company, and further by way of a cross-company guarantee provided by certain members of the group headed by League Topco Limited.
Management loan notes
These were incepted in July 2024 with a value of £10,419,349. The loan carries interest at a fixed rate of 12%, which is accrued and rolled up to the principle quarterly as a payment in kind (with the period end being a quarter end roll date). The total interest capitalised as part of the loan during the period is £901,658, resulting in the carrying value of the loan note at £11,321,007.
The management loan notes are not secured.
The company is party to unlimited cross-company guarantees for borrowings entered into with two counterparties by member of the group, League Bidco Limited and League Topco Limited. Security against bank borrowings are secured by a comprehensive fixed and floating charge over all assets of the company.
During the period the company entered into the following transactions with related parties:
The company has taken advantage of the disclosure exemptions of section 33.1A of FRS 102 which permit it to not disclose transactions with related parties who are wholly owned by the ultimate parent, League Topco Limited.
Details of amounts outstanding at the year end are provided in notes 9, 10, and 11.