Keely Hodgkinson: UK Athletics look to cash in on SPOTY favourite after posting £1.2m loss

UK Athletics will attempt to cash in on Keely Hodgkinson's rise to superstardom after the governing body confirmed another seven-figure loss in the last financial year.

Olympic champion Hodgkinson is the odds-on favourite to be named Sports Personality of the Year following her 800m triumph in Paris.

And UKA bosses are determined to work closely with the Wigan wonder as they continue to battle out of a financial hole having been left in the red to the tune of £1.2m for the year ending March 31.

Chief executive Jack Buckner is aiming to introduce a number of “innovations” – including around the annual London Diamond League – as the sport seeks to engage younger audiences.

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But poster girl Hodgkinson, who has already moved into fashion and lifestyle spaces since claiming gold in August, and riding the ascent of breakthrough stars Phoebe Gill and Louis Hinchliffe have been marked as key figures in the fight to win over new fans.

"The reason Keely was so important was that, apart from Mo Farah, she's the first track and field gold medalist since 2012,” Buckner said.

“So in that sense it means a massive amount with her audience and who she attracts and the way she presents herself.

“We're keen to work with her and her management team on events, partnerships and things like that.

“We'll be absolutely keen to do that. We're talking very closely to them about things we can do. She'll absolutely be at the heart of many of our plans."

Buckner said that UKA received data after Paris that nine of the top 10 most-viewed moments from the entire Games related to action on the track.

They have also looked closely at social media reach – Hodgkinson now has more than half a million followers on – and are emboldened by Gill and Hinchliffe receiving more attention than British champions in other sports.

“Keely was sort of off the charts and then Josh [Kerr] and KJT and Matt Hudson Smith, they all featured,” Buckner added.

“But Phoebe Gill and Louis Hinchliffe were really positive because their actual reach around the time of the games was significantly greater than a lot of the gold medalists out of Team GB.

“So it just shows you how important track and field athletics is to the Olympic Games and also in this country.”

The £1.2m loss is significantly less than the record £3.6m announced a year earlier.

And UKA chair Ian Beattie said the current situation is also not as bad as projected 12 months ago because they had expected to lose an additional £400,000.

They are predicting a loss of £250,000 for the next set of accounts and hope to break even in 2025-26.

Beattie said: "This has taken an immense amount of hard work from all involved at the organisation and we continue to work in a way that will safeguard our and the sport’s financial future.”