In the 2021-22 season, the Premier League established itself as the leader in the European football market, according to an annual financial report by Deloitte. The English top tier’s aggregate revenue of £5.5bn was nearly double that of Spain’s La Liga. This financial dominance is largely attributed to the return of crowds to stadiums following the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw a 10% increase in revenues across Europe.
Manchester City emerged as the champions of the season, beating Liverpool by a single point. The season also saw a record aggregate revenue of 6.4bn euros (£5.5bn) for top-flight clubs in England, a 12% rise from the previous season. Matchday revenue in the Premier League totalled £763m, a significant increase from the 2020-21 season, which was mostly played behind closed doors due to the pandemic.
The Premier League’s commercial revenue reached a new high of £1.7bn, driven by fans’ renewed appetite for football after the pandemic. However, despite seven Premier League sides reporting a reduction in wages, the overall wage costs increased by 6% to £192m, rising for a second year running.
Premier League’s Financial Dominance
When compared to other European leagues, the Premier League’s financial might is unrivalled. The English top flight generated €6.4billion (£5.5bn) per year, more than double the revenue of Spain’s La Liga, its nearest competitor. The Premier League’s €901million of matchday revenues is close to four times that of Italy’s Serie A.
The Premier League also generated €3.49billion through TV revenues in 2021-22, more than Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 combined, thanks to enormous broadcasting deals at home and overseas. This financial dominance has been increasingly manifested in the transfer market, where £2.7billion was spent by the Premier League’s 20 clubs in 2022-23.
