It is that time of year for us to draw conclusions in the world of football. Like accepting that Manchester City are now as good as it gets in Europe. Or that Jack Grealish is partial to an all-nighter.
And here’s another one: football is a boom industry and at the very heart of its expansion is the Premier League.
Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance has been published and its forensic analysis details that just shy of €30billion (£25.6bn; $32.5bn) was generated by European clubs across the 2021-22 season. Covid-19 might have applied the brakes but the accelerator is back to being squeezed with growth of seven per cent year on year.
The European football market has expanded by almost €10billion since 2012-13 — a billion for every season, if you like — and central to the continued uplift is the Premier League. All by itself, English football’s top division now generates €6.4billion (£5.5bn) per year. Spain’s La Liga, its nearest competitor, only just turned over half of that sum last season.
In the women’s game, the upward trajectory is even steeper, with 60 per cent growth year on year in the English Football Association’s Women’s Super League.
Deloitte’s 32nd Annual Review depicts a sport with a widening appeal and enduring interest levels…
