Liverpool FC may be on track for what their fans hope will be another Champions League triumph which would offset their less satisfying Premiership performance. However, in progressing as far as they have, they are punching above their weight financially. When it comes to money as compared with performance on the pitch, Real Madrid are way ahead of them with a financial Deloitte money list table topping annual revenue of £290m compared with £167m at Liverpool. That puts them seventh in the Deloitte European money league, a quarter-finalist’s performance.
Liverpool FC may be on track for what their fans hope will be another Champions League triumph which would offset their less satisfying Premiership performance. However, in progressing as far as they have, they are punching above their weight financially. When it comes to money as compared with performance on the pitch, Real Madrid are way ahead of them with a financial Deloitte money list table topping annual revenue of £290m compared with £167m at Liverpool. That puts them seventh in the Deloitte European money league, a quarter-finalist’s performance. Liverpool’s commercial earnings last season were £51.5m, £10m less than Chelsea’s, £13m short of Manchester United’s and better than Arsenal’s £44m only because the Gunners took a large proportion of their £90m deal with Emirates up front.
The gap in match day revenues is even more marked. With 76,000 seats at Old Trafford, 9,000 of which are part of prawn sandwich packages, United take more than £3m a game and over £100m in a season. Arsenal with 7,000 premium seats in the 60,000 Emirates, which up to now they have been able to sell in the nearby City, generated £94.6m. Chelsea is to some extent limited by the configuration of Stamford Bridge but nevertheless brought in £74.5m, £25m more than the £39.2m generated at Anfield last season. Now, of course, anyone who has been to Anfield knows that it is one of the most atmospheric stadiums in football. That may have something to do with the fact that only 2,800 of the 46,000 seats go to the prawn sandwich brigade (although, to be fair, many of them are as dedicated fans as those in the Kop). Nevertheless, the financial gap has to be closed to ensure long-term success for the club and in particular to enable them to compete with United on a level playing field. However, the planned 73,000 capacity new stadium remains on the drawing board for now.