Brighton named the 29th highest earning football team in the world
Brighton and Hove Albion’s 2017-18 season revenue of €154.4m made them the 29th highest earning football club in the world according to the latest Deloitte Football Money League.
The report reveals the top 30 earners based on matchday revenue, broadcast rights and commercial income. This season, it is headed by Real Madrid who brought in a scarcely believable €750.9m to knock Manchester United off top spot.
United are down to third on €666m with Barcelona climbing into second on £690.4m. The rest of the top 10 consists of the remainder of the Premier League’s big six as well as German giants Bayern Munich and French moneybags Paris Saint Germain.
The riches offered by the Premier League’s broadcast deals are highlighted by the fact that 13 of the top 30 come from England’s top flight. Above the Albion in the standings are Everton (17th), Newcastle United (19th), West Ham United (20th), Leicester City (22nd), Southampton (23rd) and Crystal Palace (24th).
Brighton are one place ahead of two-time European Champions Benfica in the list while other European giants such as Ajax, Lazio, Galatasary, Porto and Marseille – who went all the way to the Europa League final last season – fail to crack the top 30.
The Albion are signalled out for special praise in the report, Deloitte saying: “Most notably, Brighton and Hove Albion join Beşiktaş in breaking into the top 30 for the first time in 2017/18, with revenue of £139.4m in 29th position, following their promotion to the top tier of English football for the first time since 1983. This represents astounding growth for a club that generated just £1.1m back in 1996/97 as the 83rd highest revenue generating club in the UK, whilst in crisis and teetering on the brink of relegation from the English Football League.”
To go from being the ninth-worst earning club out of the 92 Football League members to the 29th highest-earning club in the world in 21 years is a ridiculous achievement and goes a long way to explaining why Paul Barber is considered one of the finest Chief Executives in the country.
For all the mocking Barber’s soundbites such as “maximise revenue streams” received when he first arrived at the club in 2012, it turns out he has actually maximised revenue streams in a way that wouldn’t have seemed possible even five years ago. His recent promotion to Deputy Chairman looks more deserved by the day.
The report rounds off an impressive month of financial news for the Albion. The 2017-18 accounts revealed a £11.3m profit when they were released in December and the strength of Brighton’s current financial position shows just how important remaining in the Premier League is to the club.
