Storms Austen and Boelo disrupted football across the pyramid this weekend. Scottish Cup ties, Irish League fixtures and the Women's Challenge Cup final were among the casualties, but England's non-league programme suffered too. Virginia Water's match against Corinthian-Casuals was postponed, while Barrow's National League fixture against Forest Green Rovers was abandoned during the first half.

Away from the pitch, the week's financial stories were no less eventful. A reported £5m takeover of tier six Farnham Town collapsed, Lincoln City's American backer strengthened his control of the Championship newcomers, and Burnley's £142m debt provided an uncomfortable backdrop to their position in the relegation zone.

We also examine the terms of AFC Wimbledon's proposed £87m investment and the people behind it, and ask who pays for the new regulator. And the Burger Index visits Boreham Wood, where a £3 matchday ticket surcharge tells a more revealing story than the £6 burger.

Farnham Town's Reported £5m Takeover: What Would Peter Crouch and Joe Cole Have Been Buying?

Peter Crouch and Joe Cole were reportedly involved in a consortium that came close to acquiring Farnham Town in a deal valued at around £5m. The negotiations collapsed, although the reason has not been established.

We examined the club's Companies House filings. Chairman-signed community interest reports disclose turnover of £400,000 for the year to May 2025. Against that historic figure, £5m represents 12.5 times annual revenue. The balance sheet shows net liabilities of £112,268, cash of £24,620 and an implied annual deficit of £96,190.

But the most interesting question is structural. Farnham's operating company is a community interest company limited by guarantee. It has no share capital. A separate limited company was incorporated in March 2026, but its relationship to the reported approach is unknown.

The filings establish what Farnham looked like before its latest promotion and commercial expansion. They do not establish what the consortium was proposing to buy.

Lincoln City's American Backer: How Former Padres Owner Ron Fowler Is Funding the Championship Newcomers

Lincoln recorded their first home Championship victory in 65 years with a 4–1 win over Burnley. Behind their remarkable rise is Ron Fowler, the former controlling owner of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres.

Fowler's Liquid Investments has increased its holding in Lincoln City Holdings from 25.92% in February to 62.22%. Over the same period, nominal share capital increased by £5.286m. That is not necessarily the amount of cash invested, but the changes reveal the scale of the ownership restructuring.

We trace the dilution of existing investors, the supporters' shrinking percentage stake and the stadium investment accompanying Lincoln's return to the second tier.

Burnley's £142m Debt: What the Accounts Reveal About ALK Capital's Model

Burnley sit third from bottom of the Championship following a 4–1 defeat at Lincoln, a result that cost head coach Nicky Hayen his job. Their latest accounts reveal the financial structure behind a club struggling to regain its footing.

The accounts disclose approximately £142m in bank borrowing and factored receivables, alongside an £81m amount receivable from the parent company. The auditors issued an unmodified opinion while drawing attention to a material uncertainty over going concern.

Those findings are not contradictory. We examine what the debt, intra-group balances and audit disclosures reveal about ALK Capital's ownership model — and the financial pressures facing Burnley.

AFC Wimbledon's £87m Deal: What Members Are Being Asked to Approve

AFC Wimbledon's proposed investment raises a distinction that has been lost in much of the coverage: economic entitlement is not the same as voting control.

We examine the proposed terms, what members are being asked to approve and how the arrangement would affect the club's ownership structure.

We also investigate Omar Mir and Sloane Street Capital, the names behind the proposal, separately from the question of whether the deal is right for Wimbledon.

Football's New Regulator Will Cost £20.3m a Year. Who Pays?

The Independent Football Regulator's running costs fall on the clubs it oversees. Eighty-five per cent of the £20.3m comes from the Premier League — the figure most of the coverage raised and then left unresolved.

We set out how the levy is apportioned across the divisions, and what it means for clubs further down the pyramid.

Boreham Wood — £35 for the Evening

Boreham Wood are unbeaten at the top of the National League, having sold Abdul Abdulmalik to Djurgårdens IF for a reported initial £1.5m, with further payments possible through add-ons.

At Meadow Park, a plain quarter pounder costs £6. A pint of Birra Moretti costs another £6. Raynes Park Vale charge the same for both, despite playing three tiers below.

The real difference is admission. Boreham Wood charge £20 in advance or £23 on the day. More revealing is the flat £3 surcharge applied across the concession categories: 15% extra for an adult buying on matchday, but 50% extra for a nine-year-old.

The club froze its headline ticket prices for 2026/27, citing affordability. The Burger Index examines how that decision sits alongside the surcharge, the club's latest balance sheet and its stadium redevelopment plans.

The accounts, ownership registers and council papers behind these stories are public. They establish a great deal, but the questions that matter to supporters often require looking beyond the headline figures: who provides the funding, who controls the decisions, and what obligations come with the investment.

That's the work we intend to keep doing, from the Championship to the bottom of the non-league pyramid.

Which club's finances should we investigate next? Reply to this email with the club and the question you want answered. We're particularly interested in ownership changes, unexplained funding, stadium deals and transactions that have received little scrutiny.