The Premier League logo. (imago Images)
Premier League fans had missed matchday action because of the restrictions that barred them from stadia. This claim can be supported by the fact that fans are coming back in record numbers after the 16-month break. Data from various sources revealed that matches are averaging almost 40000 fans each.
This attendance translates to around 955 million USD in matchday income. These fans also have sports sites and apps that help to enhance their experience. For instance, they can get football online results through Vwin, a leading sports site in Asia, and take advantage of the online betting opportunities offered on their site. Here, they can follow other matches happening in other stadiums.
Moreover, football experts argue that if the record matchday attendance continues to the end of the season, it could be a record attendance in the league’s 30-year history. So far, all the matches are recording attendance of 95% on average.
For example, a club like Brighton & Hove Albion increased the seating capacity to the Amex Stadium by 1250 seats. As a result, the stadium has a total of 32000 seats. What’s more, the stadium’s corporate membership areas are said to be sold out for the next five years!
However, other top European Leagues have not been so lucky as their teams have not registered similar success. For instance, reports suggest that Spain’s La Liga has been drawing an average of 16872 fans. This number is relatively low given that the teams were attracting 26811 fans before the pandemic.
“It is telling that during what has been described as ‘the worst economic climate since World War II’ with five of the top ten most profitable football clubs in the world, all Premier League clubs are collectively generating more income than ever before,” said Dan Jones, a partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
The rise of the English Premier League has been nothing short of meteoric over the past two decades. Many experts believe structural changes to the English game in the early 1990s gave Premier League clubs more power, and widespread recognition of its global appeal has led to exponential growth.
The “big five” EPL clubs are leading the rest regarding matchday revenue generation. The clubs have capitalized on their cult following by improving their stadiums to accommodate more fans during matchdays.
For instance, in the 2019/2020 season, Manchester United generated the most revenue from matchday after making 651 million USD. They were followed by Liverpool (627 million USD), Manchester City (617 million USD), and Chelsea (527 million USD).
Arsenal, one of the highest earners, was overtaken by Tottenham, who came in fifth (500 Million USD) as The Gunners settled for sixth spot (435 million USD). However, there have been several changes in the EPL that have made the league even more attractive.
For instance, Brendan Rodgers has turned Leicester City into a top-four team. Moreover, their exciting brand of football attracts more fans to the stadium. The most recent development is the Newcastle United takeover which has fans at the St. James Park believing again.
The bottom line is, the EPL has grown into the most exciting league globally. In this sense, the stadiums will always be packed to the brim on matchdays helping their teams generate more revenue.