The UEFA Club Finance and Investment Landscape Report, the most authoritative and comprehensive review of the European football finance landscape, was released in a new format with a fresh look recently. The report reveals the financial health of European football, showcasing its resilience and growth despite the challenges brought about by the global pandemic.
Interest in European Football at an All-Time High
The report indicates that interest in European football has never been higher, with attendance records broken across Europe. These findings echo the autumn’s sister ‘European Club Talent and Competition Landscape Report.’
The booming interest in European football is reflected in the growing revenues, with all revenue streams escalating at an unprecedented pace. The 2023 revenues are predicted to surge at a record-breaking speed, indicating a robust financial future for European football.
Record Revenue and Club Acquisitions
Despite the pandemic’s lingering after-effects, first-division club revenues reached a record level of just under €24bn in the 2022 financial year. Based on early club revenue submissions, revenue is projected to grow beyond €26bn in the 2023 financial year.
The report also highlights the ongoing trend of club acquisitions and investments from around the world. This trend underscores the confidence investors have in European football and its unique attractiveness.
Comment from UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin
“European football’s success is built on open competitions, sporting excellence, and unity within the European football pyramid. This model emphasizes the importance of the revenue generated at the pinnacle of the football pyramid to sustain its base at the grassroots level and foster its growth. The European Club Finance and Investment Landscape is a testament to UEFA’s role in upholding it.” — Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President.
Club Wages and Financial Sustainability
The report notes that despite the lost revenues and depressed transfer market during the pandemic, club wages increased significantly across the 2020-2021 period. However, there are signs that new regulations and stakeholders’ cooperation are starting to have an effect.
Andrea Traverso, UEFA’s Director of Financial Sustainability & Research, mentioned in his introduction:
“Faced by strengthened incoming squad cost controls led by UEFA, there are strong signs in the latest figures that clubs are taking stock and trying to get their costs under control. In 2023, player wages increased by less than 1%, the lowest growth level on record, contributing to the re-balancing of the wages/revenue ratio for many clubs.”
The Report in Review
The report, one of two accompanying reports that UEFA publishes annually, analyzes the finances of over 700 clubs. It provides Key Performance Indicator (KPI) tables for all 55 countries, painting the definitive picture of club finances as club football moves beyond the pandemic.
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