English Premier League clubs are making an assault on soccer’s global rich list, accounting for six of the 20 richest clubs in the world, according to the latest annual report from The Deloitte Football Money League. With the exception of Newcastle, which fell from 13th to 14th in the list, Manchester United (2), Chelsea (4), Arsenal (5), Liverpool (8) and Tottenham (11) all gained places, while Deloitte expects the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham United to crack the top 20 next year. Real Madrid is still first in the earnings table, with revenue of $472.4 million last year, followed by Man United, $424.2 million, and Barcelona, $390.6 million.
Why are EPL clubs growing faster than their European peers? Deloitte cites an explosion of television revenue plus innovative approaches to stadium sales, like expensive corporate packages that include premium seating plus food and wine. Arsenal in particular received a huge boost in sales from its new Emirates Stadium, which is almost twice the size of Highbury, the club’s former stadium. The Gunners took in $181.2 million in ticket sales, or $6.2 million per home match, in 2007, while record-setter Manchester United took in $185 million from Old Trafford. Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge was third on the list with $149 million in ticket sales. Deloitte calculates that Premier League clubs took in an average of $68 per spectator last year, trouncing clubs in Spain ($44), Germany ($32) and Italy ($30).