Deloitte have revealed the top 20 highest revenue generating football clubs for the 2021/22 season, with Liverpool above arch rivals Manchester United for the first time.
Man City remain at the top of the list, though, as for the first time Premier League clubs make up more than half of the Money League top 20, while Newcastle United made a return following their Saudi Arabia takeover.
It has been revealed 2023 Money League Clubs reported combined revenues of around £8billion in the 2021/22 season, an increase of 13 per cent compared to the around £7bn reported by Money League clubs in 2020/21.
The year-on-year increase of 13 per cent comes as matchday spending rebounded, rising from £97million to £1.2bn, following the return of fans to stadia as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
And the Premier League’s dominance of the global club game is underlined in the 2023 report.
The English top flight’s broadcast revenues remain the envy of the rest of the world, and the report found that 16 clubs – 80 per cent of the league – featured in the 2023 Money League’s top 30.
Man City generated £619.1m in 2021/22, according to the report, including a Premier League record of almost £330m in commercial revenue.
Liverpool achieved their highest-ever position of third in the survey’s 26-year history with recorded revenue of £594.3m.
The Reds were seventh in the previous Money League, but their 2021/22 performance – including a run to the Champions League final – took them above north-west rivals Manchester United for the first time.
Leeds entered the top 20 for the first time since 2002/03, coming in 18th, while Newcastle returned to the top 20 in 20th position. The report found those clubs’ commercial and matchday revenue earnings helped push them above other English clubs in receipt of similar revenue from the Premier League’s TV deals.
European champions Real Madrid remained second in the list, but their bitter rivals Barcelona dropped from fourth to seventh on the back of a 13 per cent fall in broadcast revenue.
The report found that neither of the Spanish giants’ revenue has yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with both teams still committed to the idea of a European Super League.
The Premier League was the only one of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues to experience an increase in revenue from broadcast sales in its most recent cycle.
Five of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ clubs reported revenue increases of 15 per cent or more [a total increase of around £197m] as new commercial partnerships began and non-matchday events such as concerts and stadium tours returned.
Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “For the first time, Premier League clubs fill the lion’s share of positions in Deloitte’s Football Money League.
“The question now is whether other leagues can close the gap, likely by driving the value of future international media rights, or if the Premier League will be virtually untouchable, in revenue terms.
“The Premier League was the only one of the Big Five European leagues to experience an increase in its media rights value during its most recent rights sale process.
“It continues to appeal to millions of global followers and its member clubs have a greater revenue advantage over international rivals.
“Commercial partner, fan and investor interest in the Premier League appears higher than ever before.
“While this suggests optimism for further growth, continued calls for greater distribution of the financial wealth of English clubs across the football system and the impact of a cost-of-living crisis makes it all the more important for the game’s stakeholders to keep a clear focus on their responsibility as stewards of leading clubs.”
