Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
The Premier League saw its clubs lose a combined $1.2 billion in the 2020-21 season — which represents an improvement from last year’s results.
The heavy losses were spearheaded by the Premier League’s “Big Six” clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham. The top-flight clubs reported a combined loss of $816 million — roughly 63% of the league’s total losses.
For the 2019-20 season, losses amounted to $1.6 billion — the highest since 2009.
- Combined revenue for the Premier League’s 20 clubs reached $5.8 billion in 2020-21.
- About $4 billion of that revenue came from media rights deals.
- It reported $36 million in matchday revenue, compared to a potential $829 million.
- Matchday revenue suffered from restrictions on fan attendance.
Leading the Premier League in losses for the 2020-21 season was Chelsea, a club that will look to rebound under new ownership. The Blues suffered a loss of $244 million during a season that saw the club finish fourth in the Premier League standings.
In May, a consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, and Sparks owner Todd Boehly purchased Chelsea for $5.2 billion — the largest sale ever for a professional sports team ever.
It also marked the first time that more than half of the Premier League’s clubs were under American ownership.
Another Loss
The Premier League has asked its clubs to agree to a voluntary ban on new gambling sponsorship deals on shirts. For the 2020-21 season, 10 clubs had gambling company sponsors.
