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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
4 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Beating Messi's Miami 'harder than it may seem': PSG's Luis Enrique - Egyptian Football
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said defeating Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on Sunday was trickier than it seemed despite the French side's 4-0 Club World Cup last 16 triumph. Joao Neves' early strike sent PSG ahead and then they scored three more in a flurry before half-time to take an unassailable lead. Former PSG and Barcelona star Messi impressed in the second half as Miami battled well but could not find a way through. "It is difficult to play against players of this calibre, it was difficult, but I think as a team we did an excellent job," Luis Enrique told reporters. "There's a visible difference between the first and second halves... their quality is evident, and I think we deserved the victory. "It was harder than it may seem, after the first half." The Spanish coach said his PSG team, who won the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the French Cup to claim their first ever treble, are in spectacular form and are hoping to triumph in the United States. "Clearly, we are experiencing a historic season for our club, we aim to go far in this competition," continued Luis Enrique. "We are in the quarter-finals, with only eight teams remaining. Our goal is to progress as far as possible and to compete for the trophy. But for that, we need to overcome two more knock-out rounds. "The season is very long, as it is for all teams, but the motivation to be competitive is there." PSG winger Ousmane Dembele said he was "glad to see" Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano. "Leo is a unique person, to share a game with him was magnificent, I was a kid watching his magic on the television, so it's unique," said PSG defender Lucas Beraldo. 'Reality' hits Inter Miami coach Mascherano said he was pleased with his team's performance at the tournament despite their eventual thrashing by PSG. "We achieved the goal we had set for ourselves, we were very aware that we could compete up to a certain level, and today reality has shown that," Mascherano told reporters. "I am very proud of my players, of the work they did in the competition (...) we tried to show in each match what we could do. The gap is what it is, but I am very proud of them." Mascherano said his Argentine compatriot Messi was able to show his quality despite the defeat. "I think Leo played a great game, within the options we had. In the second half, we found him much more. In the first half, we couldn't due to Paris's pressure," said the coach. "They slowed their tempo in the second half, and we were able to show what we usually do in MLS (Major League Soccer)." Despite PSG being arguably the best team in the world at the moment, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was filled with Inter Miami shirts, mostly with eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi's number 10 on the back. "PSG is in great form, champions of everything, but people still pay for a ticket to see Leo Messi, even at 38 years old," added Mascherano. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PSG rout Messi's Inter Miami to reach Club World Cup quarters
Miami hoped the Argentine superstar's magic could help them produce an unlikely result against his former side, but the Major League Soccer side were dismantled in Atlanta by Luis Enrique's rampant European champions. Ageing great Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba had done well to reach the last 16 but the gulf in quality between the teams was laid bare over the 90 minutes. Joao Neves netted twice for PSG, who benefitted from a Tomas Aviles own goal, while Achraf Hakimi was also on target. After Neves opened the scoring early on Miami resisted until PSG hit three goals in 10 minutes towards the end of the first half. Messi was the main draw, as fans chanted his name and most of the 66,000 crowd were clad in Miami's hot pink interspersed with Argentina shirts. PSG dominated from the start, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia floating into the box and teeing up Bradley Barcola, but Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari thwarted him with an outstretched leg. However shortly afterwards over-run Miami right-back Marcelo Weigandt fouled Desire Doue and it led to PSG's opener. Vitinha whipped a free-kick to the back post where Portuguese midfielder Neves ran in completely unmarked, stooping to nod past Ustari after six minutes. PSG's Fabian Ruiz had a goal disallowed for offside before Miami defender Noah Allen limped off injured in a further blow for Javier Mascherano's side. With the Ligue 1 champions pressing high and keeping possession Miami found it hard to get Messi involved. The 38-year-old Argentine superstar played a superbly weighted pass down the right flank for Tadeo Allende but a rare Miami break came to nothing. Messi's intermittent interventions were not enough to hold back the Parisian tide. PSG doubled their lead in the 39th minute when veteran holding midfielder Busquets got his footwork wrong in front of his own box. Spanish compatriot Ruiz rapidly relieved him of the ball and combined with Barcola to set up Neves to tap home his second. PSG grabbed their third when Aviles deflected Doue's cross into his own net, and Hakimi netted the fourth before half-time to put PSG out of sight. The Morocco international's first effort was deflected onto the crossbar but he stayed alert at the air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium to fire home the rebound. Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi lost his cool with a swipe aimed at Vitinha as the Argentine raged against the midfielder, Miami's impotence and PSG's swagger. Determined Messi Messi produced a brilliant pass for Suarez early in the second half, chipping a ball over the PSG defence, but the Uruguayan could not finish to offer Miami a lifeline. Despite the impossibility of a comeback -- there was to be no comeback like the one Luis Enrique's Barcelona managed in 2017 against PSG from four goals down in which Messi and Suarez scored -- the Argentine was determined to bow out with a bang. Messi drew a first save from PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma after the hour mark with a low effort. Luis Enrique sent on winger Ousmane Dembele for his first appearance at the tournament after a hamstring injury, but the Frenchman was rusty and imprecise. When Suarez was fouled by Lucas Beraldo on the edge of the box Messi had the chance to repeat his free-kick winner against Porto in the group stage, but his effort hit the wall. It was not to be for Messi or Miami, but their second-half performance was respectable and the defeat was by a lesser margin than the French side's 5-0 Champions League final thrashing of Inter Milan. PSG will face Bayern Munich or Flamengo in the quarter-finals in Atlanta on Saturday. Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
9 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Saudis the next test for the new version of 'Pepball'
But as the tournament moves towards the business end, FIFA's new competition is also providing the opportunity to see one of the game's greatest coaches in the midst of rebuilding and recreating his dynasty. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have won six of the last eight Premier League titles along with a host of Cups including the 2023 Champions League. But last year they looked like an empire in decline, finishing 13 points behind Liverpool with performances that were even less inspiring then the results they generated. At times it felt like the end of the Guardiola era but the Spaniard has set about re-building his team and the 5-2 demolition of Juventus on Thursday indicated the process is moving along swiftly and successfully. "I'm really pleased because the most important thing is the players have to realise what we have to do to get back to what we were the last decade," said Guardiola. It is tempting to view the City rebuild project purely in terms of personnel and certainly astutely recruited new arrivals Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki in midfield and Rayan Ait-Nouri at left-back showed against Juve that they have the profiles to fit into the City mould immediately. But after success built on his trademark relentlessly dominant possession football, is Guardiola also undergoing a change in his approach? Overloads Certainly, against the Italians - and despite the Florida heat -- City played at a high tempo and with an aggressive, attacking intent, particularly down the flanks. With the two full-backs, Matheus Nunes and Ait-Nouri, pushing forward in support of wingers Savinho and Jeremy Doku, City created overloads in the wide areas that Juve struggled to cope with. Since the arrival of centre-forward Erling Haaland in 2022, City have evolved away from near constant short-passing towards a more mixed approach and the willingness to go long, even when Omar Marmoush led the line, adds another dimension. It was noticeable that the City coach was quick to praise his goalkeeper for his accurate long passes to his strikers. "Ederson was an incredible quarterback, making incredible long balls for Omar and Erling, and especially after we had the patience to make a lot of passes to be calm," he said. Perhaps the reports of the death of 'Pepball' were greatly exaggerated? Guardiola's principles, forged at Barcelona, remain in place but they are evolving and adapting to a game where relentless pressing, as well as high-speed passing are essential -- as Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain showed in their triumphant Champions League campaign. It would be interesting to watch City evolve in pre-season friendlies but it is even more instructive to see them do it in a competitive environment. Saudi club Al-Hilal may not have the history of City's usual rivals, but the team coached by Italian Simone Inzaghi, were unbeaten in the group stage drawing with Real Madrid and Salzburg and beating Mexico's Pachuca. Their defence features former City full-back Joao Cancelo and ex-Napoli centre-half Kalidou Koulibaly while Portugal international Ruben Neves brings control and quality to their midfield. They will set out, like so many teams in Europe, to frustrate City and will hope to do a better job at that task than Juventus. But there is a swagger around City again, a confidence and a quiet determination to end a season of disappointment with a trophy and a statement of intent. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
