Top 20 clubs in the Deloitte Football Money League score record revenue of over £5bn

• Combined revenue for top 20 Money League clubs rises 8% to €6.6bn, a new record

• Real Madrid top the list for the 11th year in a row, with Manchester United falling one place to third and FC Barcelona climbing to second

• Bayern Munich fall to fifth, their lowest position since 2006/07

• Nine Premier League clubs in the top 20, with revenues totalling €3bn

• Over half of the top 30 revenue-generating clubs are from the Premier League

The 20 highest earning football clubs in the world generated €6.6bn (£5bn) of revenue last season, an increase of 8% on the previous year, according to the 19th edition of the Football Money League from Deloitte, the business advisory firm.

Real Madrid top the Deloitte Football Money League for the eleventh year in a row, having generated €577m (£439m) in the 2014/15 season. Commercial revenue was the main driver of this growth, increasing by €22.7m from the previous season. Matchday income also saw an increase of €9.1m. Broadcast revenue, however, fell by €4.3m during the season.

Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, comments: “For the first time, the top three clubs in the Football Money League have all passed the €500m revenue mark. Real Madrid once again delivered a strong financial performance, buoyed by growth in their commercial revenue. The planned redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabéu will help to continue the growth in matchday income in the coming years.

“FC Barcelona’s on-pitch achievements in the 2014/15 season have translated to financial success. The European champions have climbed to second place at the expense of Manchester United, with revenue growth across all areas of the business - matchday, broadcast and commercial.”

Manchester United, although slipping one place to third, remain the highest revenue-generating club from the Premier League, earning €519.5m (£395.2m). Chelsea fell one place to eighth, with Arsenal climbing to seventh. Manchester City and Liverpool are the other two Premier League clubs in the top 10, placing sixth and ninth respectively.

Tim Bridge, Senior Manager at Deloitte, comments: “Despite a reduction in revenue year-on-year, the fact that Manchester United remain in the top three of the Money League demonstrates the underlying strength of the club’s business model. The return to Champions League football, as well as the commencement of a number of significant commercial partnerships, will only strengthen the business in 2015/16. With this in mind, it would not be surprising to see United top next year’s Money League for the first time in 12 years, with the club forecasting revenues of around £500m (around €650m).”

This year’s Football Money League has also seen movement amongst Europe’s football giants, with Bayern Munich falling from third to fifth place, their lowest position since 2006/07. The German champions were leapfrogged by Paris Saint-Germain, the only French team in the top 20, following another year of growth and a revenue of €480.8m (£365.8m). Despite a successful Champions League campaign for Juventus, and Roma’s jump from 24th to 16th, it has been a disappointing season for Italian clubs in revenue terms. Both Inter and AC Milan have slipped two places in the last year, with the former close to dropping out of the top 20 of the Money League for the first time.

Jones adds: “The 2014/15 Money League has been another year of growth for the ‘big five’ European leagues. However, we have also seen a slowdown of growth from the top five clubs, with revenues growing by just 4% year on year, compared to 11% in the previous edition. It may be hard for new clubs to break into the top 10 in the short term, given the €43.3m revenue gap between 10th and 11th place.”

A 10% strengthening of sterling versus the euro helped English clubs. A record nine Premier League clubs are ranked within this year’s top 20, one more than in last year’s edition. In their first appearance since 2005/06, West Ham United have once again joined the world’s revenue-generating elite, as revenues rose by £5.9m to £122.4m (€160.9m). Premier League clubs now dominate the top 30, with 17 of those clubs having played in the Premier League during the 2014/15 season.

Bridge adds: “Despite disappointing performances by Premier League clubs in recent European competitions, they continue to lead the way in revenue terms. With the new round of Premier League broadcast deals set to deliver greatly improved domestic broadcast revenues in 2016/17, we expect to see Premier League clubs cementing their places in the top 30 in the coming years, with potential for some of these to climb into the top 20.”

Deloitte Football Money League 2016

- ENDS –

Notes to editors:

To review the full findings of the Deloitte Football Money League, please visit: www.deloitte.co.uk/sportsbusinessgroup.

This press release is based on the Deloitte Football Money League published in January 2016.  As explained more fully in the publication, the revenue figures are extracted from the annual financial statements of the company or group in respect of each club, or other direct sources, for the 2014/15 season.

There are many ways of examining the relative wealth or value of football clubs.  For the Deloitte Football Money League, revenue has been used as the most easily available and comparable measure of financial performance. 

Revenue excludes player transfer fees, VAT and other sales related taxes.  In a few cases we have made adjustments to total revenue figures to enable, in our view, a more meaningful comparison of the football business on a club-by-club basis. 

We have not performed any verification work or audited any of the information contained in the financial statements or other sources in respect of each club for the purpose of the publication.

For the purpose of the international comparisons, unless otherwise stated, all figures for the 2014/15 season have been translated at the average exchange rate for the year ending 30 June 2015 (£1 = €1.3145). Comparative figures have been extracted from previous editions of the Deloitte Football Money League, or from relevant annual financial statements or other direct sources.

Later this year the Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance will be published, providing a more detailed analysis of the English and European football finance landscape.

PR contacts:
George Parrett / Kaylin Duckitt
020 7007 7285 / 020 7007 2040
gparrett@deloitte.co.uk / kduckitt@deloitte.co.uk

About the Sports Business Group at Deloitte

Over the last 20 years Deloitte has developed a unique focus on the business of sport. Our specialist Sports Business Group offers a multi-disciplined expert service with dedicated people and skills capable of adding significant value to the business of sport. Whether it is benchmarking or strategic business reviews, operational turnarounds, revenue enhancement strategies or stadium/venue development plans, business planning, market and demand analysis, acquisitions, due diligence, expert witness, audits or tax planning; we have worked with more clubs, leagues, governing bodies, stadia developers, event organisers, commercial partners, financiers and investors than any other adviser.

For further information on our services you can access our website at www.deloitte.co.uk/sportsbusinessgroup

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