Amazing news coming from England today. The Premier League has solidified its position as Europe’s football leader according to a recent financial report by Deloitte. The English top tier saw a whopping £5.5bn in aggregate revenue for the 2021-22 season, almost double La Liga’s earnings.
The return of stadium crowds following the pandemic was a major factor behind a 10% revenue growth across Europe. Unfortunately, a 15% surge in wage costs across the ‘big five’ leagues resulted in operational profits being impacted.
European football has shown impressive resilience in the face of adversity, overcoming the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. As restrictions were lifted and fans eagerly returned to stadiums, record-breaking matchday and commercial revenues were generated across the continent.
Top-tier clubs in England have reported an exceptional 12% increase in overall revenues for the 2021-22 season, reaching an impressive total of £5.5bn. Matchday revenues alone reached an incredible £763m, representing a staggering £732m increase from the previous season when games were largely played behind closed doors.
The Premier League’s commercial revenue has hit an all-time high of £1.7 billion, thanks to football fans’ renewed appetite for the sport after the pandemic, according to Deloitte. Despite some teams reporting a reduction in wages, the overall wage costs – for both playing and non-playing staff – rose by 6% to £192 million, marking the second consecutive year of growth.
While wage increases have been outpaced by revenue growth, operational profit for clubs in the 2021-22 season fell £1 million from the previous year to £459 million, due to a £395 million increase in operating expenses.
Football Clubs Revenue 2021/22
La Liga (Spain) in Comparison
La Liga’s revenue has enjoyed an 11% increase to reach 3.3 billion euros in the 2021-22 season. However, this is just half of what the Premier League generates. The main driver behind the increase in revenue across Europe has been the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.
In Spain, top-tier clubs saw an impressive rise in matchday revenue to the tune of 409 million euros, which is a significant increase from the 56 million euros generated in the 2019-20 season.
English Championship
Championship clubs are still living beyond their means, spending more on wages than they make in revenue for the fifth year in a row. The combined wages-to-revenue ratio of second-tier teams is a jaw-dropping 108 per cent – a clear indication that clubs are eager to gain promotion to the lucrative Premier League.
Nottingham Forest is a prime example of this trend, having spent a whopping £58.6 million on wages while earning only £29.3 million in revenue during their promotion year in 2021-2022. These statistics paint a concerning picture of the financial sustainability of these clubs. Something needs to change.
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- Lucy Walker covers finance, health and beauty since 2014. She has been writing for various online publications.
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