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Japan Today
12-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Premier League 'under strain' despite record £6.3 bil revenues
Fan protests over rising ticket prices have become commonplace in the Premier League soccer The combined revenue of Premier League clubs rose to a record £6.3 billion ($8.5 billion, 7.5 billion euros) in the 2023/24 season, but fan unrest and worsening competitive balance are cause for concern, according to financial experts Deloitte. The rise in income for England's 20 top-flight clubs was fueled by commercial income surpassing £2 billion for the first time and a rise in matchday revenue beyond £900 million. English clubs continue to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European rivals. Spain's La Liga, the second highest revenue-generating league, earned just over half that amount at 3.8 billion euros, almost 50 percent of which came from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, fan protests have become a common sight at Premier League stadiums over rising ticket prices and the squeezing out of local supporters to make way for more tourists willing to spend more for a special matchday experience. "There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. "Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset." There is also uncertainty over the implications of an incoming independent regulator for England's top five leagues. And for the past two seasons, all three promoted clubs from the Championship have been immediately relegated back to the second tier. "The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system," added Bridge in Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance. Total revenue of European clubs rose by eight percent in the 2023/24 campaign to 38 billion euros, boosted by increased commercial revenue and stadium developments. The women's game also continues to grow commercially, particularly in England's Women's Super League (WSL). Collective revenues in the WSL rose 34 percent to £65 million in 2023/24 and are projected to reach £100 million in the upcoming season. © 2025 AFP

Egypt Today
12-06-2025
- Business
- Egypt Today
European game generated 38 bln euros in 2023-24 season, study shows
(Reuters) - Europe's soccer market grew by 8% in terms of revenue in the 2023-24 season to 38 billion euros ($43.46 billion) with England's Premier League generating the most, Deloitte said in a study published on Wednesday. In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte said the top five leagues -- Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 -- generated 20.4 billion euros in revenue, an increase of 4%. Premier League clubs had the highest revenue of Europe's top leagues at 6.3 billion pounds ($8.50 billion). However, the traditional 'big six' clubs in England's top flight reported lower average revenue growth (3%) than other clubs that were in the Premier League in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons (11%). The study said the growth was largely driven by expansion of clubs' commercial offerings, which also led to the teams cumulatively generating more than two billion pounds in commercial revenue for the first time. "A focus on stadia development and diversification of commercial revenues led to growth across the European football market in the 2023-24 season," Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said. "However, clubs and leagues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball as new challenges, including an evolving regulatory landscape and changing fan behaviours, arise. "The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs. "More so than ever, leaders and owners must recognise the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honouring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come." Clubs in Europe's 'big five' leagues reported an aggregate operating profit (0.6 billion euros) for a second successive season, while the aggregate wages/revenue ratio fell from 66% to 64%. WSL REVENUE SOARS Clubs in England's Women's Super League (WSL) jointly generated revenue of 65 million pounds in the 2023-24 season, a 34% rise. Each WSL club had a double-digit increase in revenue, while all 12 clubs reported over one million pounds in revenue for the first time, with an average revenue of 5.4 million pounds. "Through developing more robust fan engagement strategies, strong commercial deals and securing central distributions, WSL clubs unlocked a new phase of growth," Deloitte Sports Business group's knowledge and insights lead Jennifer Haskel said. "Plus, as the reporting and attribution of commercial revenue remains inconsistent between clubs, we may be scratching the surface on the value now being generated by the women's game."
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Premier League 'under strain' despite record £6.3 bn revenues
The combined revenue of Premier League clubs rose to a record £6.3 billion ($8.5 billion, 7.5 billion euros) in the 2023/24 season, but fan unrest and worsening competitive balance are cause for concern, according to financial experts Deloitte. The rise in income for England's 20 top-flight clubs was fuelled by commercial income surpassing £2 billion for the first time and a rise in matchday revenue beyond £900 million. English clubs continue to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European rivals. Spain's La Liga, the second highest revenue-generating league, earned just over half that amount at 3.8 billion euros, almost 50 percent of which came from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, fan protests have become a common sight at Premier League stadiums over rising ticket prices and the squeezing out of local supporters to make way for more tourists willing to spend more for a special matchday experience. "There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. "Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset." There is also uncertainty over the implications of an incoming independent regulator for England's top five leagues. And for the past two seasons, all three promoted clubs from the Championship have been immediately relegated back to the second tier. "The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system," added Bridge in Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance. Total revenue of European clubs rose by eight percent in the 2023/24 campaign to 38 billion euros, boosted by increased commercial revenue and stadium developments. The women's game also continues to grow commercially, particularly in England's Women's Super League (WSL). Collective revenues in the WSL rose 34 percent to £65 million in 2023/24 and are projected to reach £100 million in the upcoming season. kca/nf Sign in to access your portfolio


The National
12-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Deloitte warns uncertainty over English football regulator hampering investment
The English football system is 'under strain' and a lack of clarity around how it will be regulated in the future is 'unhelpful' to would-be investors, according to a new report. Europe's 'Big Five' leagues generated more than €20 billion (£16.9 billion, $22.8 billion) for the first time in season 2023-24, Deloitte's latest Annual Review of Football Finance found, with Premier League clubs reporting aggregate revenue of £6.3 billion ($8.5 billion). An independent regulator for England's top five leagues is set to be created by the Football Governance Bill after it has completed its progress through the UK Parliament, but concerns remain – particularly at top-flight level – about the impact of regulation on the league's growth potential and ability to attract fresh investment. Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte Sports Business Group, also believes issues around the competitiveness of the Premier League must be addressed. 'There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain,' he wrote in the foreword to the report published on Thursday. 'Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset. 'We still await the output of the Independent Football Regulator to fully understand how this may impact the game in England, but it is clear that the way in which the game is governed and the regulation that underpins it needs to seek to drive value, fan engagement (both physical and digital) and competitive balance. 'The two most recent seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25) underscore the challenge, as in each season all three clubs promoted from the Championship were subsequently relegated after just one season in the Premier League. 'The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system. 'This should though be viewed by all those running the game as an opportunity. The level of interest and the demand to engage with English football remains high and investors still see the opportunity, particularly when there is a strong community link or adjacent investment opportunities, but the lack of clarity over the future regulatory regime is now unhelpful.' Mr Bridge noted other top leagues are closely observing how the English regulator takes shape, highlighting an economic report by Spain's LaLiga in 2022-23 which welcomed the introduction of a regulator in England to help contain inflationary pressure on wages and other football spending. The Deloitte report again illustrated how far ahead the Premier League is of its 'Big Five' rivals, with its aggregate revenue almost double that of the next highest earner LaLiga – whose clubs generated a combined €3.8 billion in 2023-24.


Asharq Al-Awsat
12-06-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Study: European Game Generated 38 Bln Euros in 2023-24 Season
Europe's soccer market grew by 8% in terms of revenue in the 2023-24 season to 38 billion euros ($43.46 billion) with England's Premier League generating the most, Deloitte said in a study published on Wednesday. In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte said the top five leagues -- Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 -- generated 20.4 billion euros in revenue, an increase of 4%. Premier League clubs had the highest revenue of Europe's top leagues at 6.3 billion pounds ($8.50 billion), Reuters reported. However, the traditional 'big six' clubs in England's top flight reported lower average revenue growth (3%) than other clubs that were in the Premier League in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons (11%). The study said the growth was largely driven by expansion of clubs' commercial offerings, which also led to the teams cumulatively generating more than two billion pounds in commercial revenue for the first time. "A focus on stadia development and diversification of commercial revenues led to growth across the European football market in the 2023-24 season," Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said. "However, clubs and leagues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball as new challenges, including an evolving regulatory landscape and changing fan behaviors, arise. "The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs. "More so than ever, leaders and owners must recognize the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honoring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come." Clubs in Europe's 'big five' leagues reported an aggregate operating profit (0.6 billion euros) for a second successive season, while the aggregate wages/revenue ratio fell from 66% to 64%. WSL REVENUE SOARS Clubs in England's Women's Super League (WSL) jointly generated revenue of 65 million pounds in the 2023-24 season, a 34% rise. Each WSL club had a double-digit increase in revenue, while all 12 clubs reported over one million pounds in revenue for the first time, with an average revenue of 5.4 million pounds. "Through developing more robust fan engagement strategies, strong commercial deals and securing central distributions, WSL clubs unlocked a new phase of growth," Deloitte Sports Business group's knowledge and insights lead Jennifer Haskel said. "Plus, as the reporting and attribution of commercial revenue remains inconsistent between clubs, we may be scratching the surface on the value now being generated by the women's game."