La Liga club Real Madrid had $638.1M (all figures U.S.) in revenue during the '10-11 season, up 9.4% year-over-year and giving the franchise the top spot among all soccer clubs for the seventh straight year, according to annual rankings compiled by Deloitte’s Sports Business Group. The EPL placed seven clubs in the top 20, compared to five for Serie A, four for the German Bundesliga, three for La Liga and two for Ligue 1 in France. The top 20 clubs generated a combined $5.9B million in revenue, up 3% from last year’s top 20. That total also represents over a quarter of the total revenues of the European football market. Three new clubs made this year’s top 20 -- Dortmund, Valencia and Napoli -- while clubs Atletico de Madrid, Stuttgart and Aston Villa fell off the list (Deloitte).
| TOP REVENUE-GENERATING SOCCER CLUBS (All figures $USD) |
| RK | CLUB | COUNTRY | '10-11
REVENUE | PREV. | 1-YR
% +/- |
| 1 | Real Madrid | Spain | $638.1M | $583.4M | 9.4% |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | Spain | $599.6M | $529.6M | 13.2% |
| 3 | Manchester United | England | $488.1M | $465.3M | 4.9% |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | Germany | $427.5M | $429.6M | -0.5% |
| 5 | Arsenal | England | $333.9M | $364.5M | -8.4% |
| 6 | Chelsea | England | $332.1M | $340.0M | -2.3% |
| 7 | AC Milan | Italy | $312.4M | $324.3M | -3.7% |
| 8 | Inter Milan | Italy | $281.0M | $298.8M | -6.0% |
| 9 | Liverpool | England | $270.2M | $299.5M | -9.8% |
| 10 | Schalke | Germany | $269.1M | $185.9M | 44.8% |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | England | $240.7M | $194.5M | 23.8% |
| 12 | Manchester City | England | $225.5M | $203.1M | 11.0% |
| 13 | Juventus | Italy | $204.6M | $272.5M | -24.9% |
| 14 | Marseille | France | $199.9M | $187.6M | 6.6% |
| 15 | Roma | Italy | $190.8M | $163.1M | 17.0% |
| 16 | Dortmund | Germany | $184.1M | $139.9M | 31.6% |
| 17 | Lyon | France | $176.6M | $194.3M | -9.1% |
| 18 | Hamburg | Germany | $171.3M | $194.4M | -11.9% |
| 19 | Valencia | Spain | $155.3M | $132.1M | 17.6% |
| 20 | Napoli | Italy | $152.8M | $126.5M | 20.8% |
| | | | | | |
REIGN IN SPAIN: The PA noted the Deloitte report shows EPL club Manchester United’s revenues continue to grow, but “they have not kept pace with the Spanish giants who have the advantage of being able to negotiate their individual TV rights deals" (PA, 2/8). Meanwhile, REUTERS' Keith Weir noted revenue at Europe’s 20 leading clubs has "increased again despite the economic crisis shaking many countries across the continent." Deloitte Sports Business Group Partner Dan Jones said among the top 20 clubs, "Large and loyal supporter bases, ability to drive strong broadcast audiences and continuing attraction to corporate partners has made them relatively resilient to the economic downturn." Spain has been one of the European economies "hardest hit by the euro crisis but Real Madrid and Barcelona are global brands that can be marketed to international viewers and sponsors." Valencia, which ranked 19th, was the "only other [Spanish] club to make the top 20." The gulf between the rich and poor is "wider in Spain than other countries because clubs sell TV rights individually rather than collectively" (REUTERS, 2/8).
SHUFFLING THE ORDER: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Bob Bensch noted Bundesliga club Schalke's 45% increase in sales made it the "biggest climber, up six places to 10th.” However, Schalke "didn't qualify for this season's Champions League." EPL club Tottenham Hotspur had the second-biggest increase “after it reached the quarterfinals in its first Champions League appearance" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/8). MARKETING WEEK's Sebastian Joseph notes the top seven clubs "remain in exactly the same position as in the previous year" (MARKETINGWEEK.co.uk, 2/9)
