European game generated 38 bln euros in 2023-24 season, study shows
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Grealish left out of Man City squad for Club World Cup
Jack Grealish has slipped down Manchester City's pecking order, making just seven Premier League starts this season. (AP pic) LONDON : Jack Grealish's future at Manchester City was plunged into further doubt on Wednesday after the England international was left out of Pep Guardiola's squad for the Club World Cup. Despite City naming just 27 players from a possible 35 for the tournament beginning in the US on June 14, Grealish was omitted alongside former captain Kyle Walker. All four of the club's new signings this week – Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli – are included. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is also selected after making his comeback from a long-term knee injury just before the end of the Premier League season. Grealish, who remains City's record signing after a £100 million move from Aston Villa in 2021, has fallen down the pecking order over the past two seasons. He made just seven Premier League starts in the 2024/25 campaign and was notably not summoned from the bench as City went down to a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final last month. The 29-year-old still has two years left to run on his City contract and his reported £300,000-a-week wages are a barrier to finding a potential suitor. Guardiola threatened last month he could leave the club if the size of his squad is not cut before the new season begins. Grealish is just one of a number of expected exits, along with Walker. The 35-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan, but the Italian giants have not taken up an option to buy. City begin their Club World Cup campaign against Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia next Wednesday before facing further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
With Kane's curse broken, Bayern eye Club World Cup treasures
German giants Bayern Munich are one the favourites to win the Fifa Club World Cup. (AP pic) Fresh from lifting a first team title of his career, Harry Kane and Bayern Munich head to the Club World Cup in the US eyeing more than just another shot at silverware. Long on the receiving end of jibes about not winning a team trophy in his 15-year career despite a glittering array of individual honours, the 31-year-old striker finally broke through when Bayern won the Bundesliga this season. Besides adding another title to Bayern's bulging trophy cabinet, a Club World Cup win would be incredibly lucrative for the German giants. In a bid to boost club buy-in for the expanded tournament, Fifa has put together a whopping US$1 billion prize money pool, with the winner expected to pocket US$125 million. As with most of the big European sides competing in the tournament, Bayern have been handed a relatively simple task in the group stages. Bayern face Auckland City in Cincinnati on Sunday, before rounding out the group stage with matches against Boca Juniors in Miami and Benfica in Charlotte. 'One of the favourites' Member-run Bayern may dwarf all but a handful of European rivals financially, but the Club World Cup money could make an important difference at an uncertain time. Despite winning back the Bundesliga title this season after Bayer Leverkusen broke an 11-year Bavarian streak last term, Bayern are facing a rebuild this summer. Normally the one and only destination for top German talent, in-demand midfielder Florian Wirtz spurned their advances and looks set for a move to Premier League side Liverpool. With veteran Thomas Mueller leaving after the Club World Cup and wingers Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman also reportedly headed for the exit, Bayern will need to bring in more attacking talent this transfer window. In defence, Eric Dier has left while Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano and Hiroki Ito have all nursed long-term injury complaints of late. The free-agent signings of Germany duo Jonathan Tah, a centre-back, and midfielder Tom Bischof have however helped tackle two problem areas for the German giants, and at a fraction of the cost. Both players were released early by former clubs Leverkusen and Hoffenheim respectively, with Bayern paying nominal fees to allow them to make the trip to the US. After recently scoring two goals in two games for England against Andorra and Senegal, Kane heads to the US optimistic of a further taste of silverware. 'We're certainly one of the favourites. I think this season has shown what kind of a team we are,' Kane told Germany's TZ newspaper on Wednesday. 'On a good day, we can beat any opponent in the world.' Kane said the players were 'taking the tournament seriously and preparing well', despite the long season behind them. 'It's a new format with the best teams in the world competing. I'm happy to be part of it because it's an exciting opportunity.' 'Ready to rumble' While Kane may now have just a solitary team title, his strike partner Mueller is bidding to become the most decorated German footballer ever. Mueller is equal on 34 team trophies with retired Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, but can inch past his former team-mate by lifting what would be his third Club World Cup. The veteran's two previous victories, in 2014 and 2021, came in the previous scaled back version of the competition. Mueller, 35, made clear he wanted to stay at Bayern after 25 years with the club. In April, he said the decision to part ways was made by the club and the club alone, but has not allowed the issue to spoil his farewell. In a social media video as Bayern took off for the United States, Mueller said: 'Of course we want to win this thing.' 'Ready to rumble. Full throttle for the title. Let's go, FC Bayern.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Club World Cup marks 'new era' for football: Infantino
FIFA PRESIDENT Gianni Infantino says the Club World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday, marks a historic 'new era' for the game, comparing it to the first World Cup held in 1930. In an interview with AFP, Infantino also took aim at critics of FIFA's ticketing policy and said that skeptics who had questioned the need for the tournament would quickly change their minds. The 32-team competition, with clubs from all continents, gets under way with Inter Miami facing Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium. 'It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started,' Infantino told AFP. 'Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That's why it's also, this World Cup here is historic.' The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 and Infantino noted that only European and South American teams took part, adding that the Club World Cup would give a chance to clubs from outside of football's traditional heartlands to play on the global stage. 'We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world,' he said. 'It's really to globalise football, to make it truly, truly global. Because when you scratch the surface, we say it's the number one sport in the world, and it is but then the elite is very concentrated in very few clubs, in very few countries,' he said. The Swiss official, who was general secretary of European body UEFA before taking the helm at FIFA in 2016, said that the club tournament also offered chances to players from over 80 countries. 'Countries who would never have a chance to play in a World Cup are suddenly part of a World Cup and they feel to be part of it, the fans of these players and of these clubs,' added Infantino, who noted several great players of the past who never played in a World Cup, 'A very good friend of mine is George legend, great player, Ballon d'Or winner, only African player who ever won the Ballon d'Or, by the way. He never played in a World Cup. He would have been playing in a Club World Cup and made not only his club and also his country proud,' he added. 'Something special' Infantino dismissed concerns that the tournament added to fixture congestion but acknowledged that some fans were yet to be sure of the value of the tournament, saying though that would quickly change. 'I believe, I'm convinced that, you know, as soon as the ball starts rolling, the whole world will realise what is happening here. It's something special,' he said. Reports of low uptake of tickets for same games has led to criticism of FIFA's ticketing policy with 'dynamic pricing', increasingly common in the United States, allowing for prices to rise and fall according to demand. But Infantino defended the approach and the decision to offer heavy discounts to students in Miami. 'I'm a positive person generally, but they criticise FIFA if the prices are too high, then they criticise FIFA if the prices are too low. 'Then they criticise FIFA if we make ticketing promotions with students. Students! I mean, when I was a student and I didn't have money, I would have loved FIFA to come to me and say, you want to come and watch a World Cup match?' 'We don't want to see empty stadiums. I believe the stadiums will be pretty full,' he said. The FIFA president said that the tournament, which secured a global broadcasting deal with DAZN reported to be worth $1 billion, was already an economic success and stressed that all the money generated from commercial deals would be ploughed back into the game. Asked how he would judge whether the tournament had been a success, Infantino said he would feel it in his 'heart' but said he was confident. 'In terms of inclusivity, in terms of economy, in terms of fan interest, you take all of these criteria, we'll speak again at the end of the club World Cup, but already now, I (feel positive), when I look at the number of tickets sold, and I look at the TV rights,' he said, noting that the games were available on DAZN's streams for free. 'Tell me one top competition today, where you can watch football for free?' he asked. The Club World Cup has also been caught up in the US's fierce debates over immigration control with games being held near Los Angeles, scenes of violent clashes between protestors and immigration officers. 'Security for me and for us is a top priority, always. So when something is happening, like in Los Angeles we are obviously monitoring the situation, we are in constant contact with the authorities, we want fans to go in games in a safe environment,' he said. the Club World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday, marks a historic 'new era' for the game, comparing it to the first World Cup held in 1930. In an interview with AFP, Infantino also took aim at critics of FIFA's ticketing policy and said that skeptics who had questioned the need for the tournament would quickly change their minds. The 32-team competition, with clubs from all continents, gets under way with Inter Miami facing Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium. 'It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started,' Infantino told AFP. 'Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That's why it's also, this World Cup here is historic.' The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 and Infantino noted that only European and South American teams took part, adding that the Club World Cup would give a chance to clubs from outside of football's traditional heartlands to play on the global stage. 'We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world,' he said. 'It's really to globalise football, to make it truly, truly global. Because when you scratch the surface, we say it's the number one sport in the world, and it is but then the elite is very concentrated in very few clubs, in very few countries,' he said.
