2,000 Clubs on Planet Earth

On Earth, there are about 2000 fully-professional football clubs, men’s and women’s.

But they are not all in the same business.

The 50 or so biggest clubs are in one business; all the rest are in another. That means that if you run or own a football club, the chances are that you are in a different business than, say, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United or Real Madrid C.F..

The Big 50 (or so) are global media businesses. That’s where the largest share of their revenue comes from, and it’s the place where they still have room to grow significantly. PSG, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City Football Club get nearly half their revenue from “commercial” sources.

Clubs in leagues like the English Championship come in much closer to one-third of revenue from commercial. (And of course, much smaller numbers, mostly from local or regional sources.)

Even a club like Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club is in the middle. Broadcasting dominates its revenue because it’s not quite in the “Global Media Business” tier.

None of this is bad. I’m addressing the kinds of clubs that I work with by saying that you are in a different business from the biggest and most famous clubs. Not just by size, but by the nature of what you do.

Perhaps you aspire to join that club, and if so, go for it. Most won’t of course, and it’s not necessarily so great if you do. (Last week, I posted a chart showing 16 of 20 The Premier League clubs losing money.)

You’re not just a “mini-Arsenal” or “mini-Barca.” You’ve got a different model. One in which Matchday is crucial not just to your revenue, but as the foundation for the rest of your business. And it probably always will be.