‘Under strain’ English football must improve value for fans, report says | OneFootball

The English football system is "under strain," a new report has found, urging regulation to address factors like fan engagement and competitive balance.

However, Deloitte's latest Annual Review of Football Finance has found a lack of clarity around future regulations is proving "unhelpful" to potential investors.

According to the group’s report, Europe's ‘Big Five’ leagues generated over 20 billion euros (£16.9 billion) in 2023-24, with Premier League clubs reporting aggregate revenue of £6.3 billion.

The Football Governance Bill is set to create an independent regulator for England's top five leagues after making its way through Parliament.

However, concerns remain, particularly at the top-flight level, regarding the impact of regulation on the league's growth potential and ability to attract new investment.

Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, believes that issues surrounding the competitiveness of the Premier League must also be addressed.

Old Trafford Stadium, home of Manchester United Football Club in Manchester, England, UK (Getty)

“There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain,” he wrote in the foreword to the report published on Thursday.

“Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club’s role and position in society: as a community asset.

“We still await the output of the Independent Football Regulator to fully understand how this may impact the game in England, but it is clear that the way in which the game is governed and the regulation that underpins it needs to seek to drive value, fan engagement (both physical and digital) and competitive balance.

“The two most recent seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25) underscore the challenge, as in each season, all three clubs promoted from the Championship were subsequently relegated after just one season in the Premier League.

“The financial implications of the ‘yo-yo effect’ on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system.

“This should though be viewed by all those running the game as an opportunity. The level of interest and the demand to engage with English football remains high and investors still see the opportunity, particularly when there is a strong community link or adjacent investment opportunities, but the lack of clarity over the future regulatory regime is now unhelpful.”

Bridge noted that other top leagues are closely observing how the English regulator takes shape, highlighting an economic report by Spain’s LaLiga in 2022-23 which welcomed the introduction of a regulator in England to help contain inflationary pressure on wages and other football spending.

The Deloitte report again illustrated how far ahead the Premier League is of its ‘Big Five’ rivals currently, with its aggregate revenue almost double that of the next highest earners LaLiga – whose clubs generated a combined 3.8bn euros (£3.2bn) in 2023-24.