Article
Annual Review of Football Finance 2018
Roar Power
The financial results of the 2016/17 football season are the most impressive ever recorded in our Annual Review of Football Finance, with the 27th edition reflecting a new era of improved profitability and financial stability for football clubs.
Key findings
• The financial results of the 2016/17 season are the most impressive ever marking a new era of financial profitability for football clubs competing in the Premier League.
• The ‘big five’ European leagues generated a record €14.7bn (£12.6bn) in revenue in 2016/17;
• The European Football Market now estimated to be worth €25.5bn (£21.9bn). In revenue terms, the Premier League leads the way and is 86% larger than its nearest competitor, Spain’s La Liga;
• The German Bundesliga remains the most attended European league;
• The top 92 Premier League and Football League clubs generated a record £5.5 billion in revenue in 2016/17;
• Premier League clubs’ revenues increased to £4.5bn, an increase of 25% as the start of a new Premier League broadcast rights cycle saw clubs paid between c.£95m and c.£150m in central distributions. No clubs reported an operating loss;
• It is now over five years since a football club entered insolvency proceedings, reflecting improved financial self-discipline and the positive impact of regulation across English football;
• The 92 Premier League and Football League clubs contributed £1.9bn to Government in taxes in 2016/17 (2015/16: £1.6bn).