Fans of Championship clubs have been given some welcome positive news, after Deloitte reported that teams in England’s second tier made more from revenue across the 2022-23 season than they spent on wages.
Amid concerns about sustainability for clubs spending big in an attempt to reach the Premier League, the report will offer some reassurance. Across the division, a total revenue of £749 million was recorded by Deloitte.
£706 million was spent on wages in the Championship, which is now the fifth-highest attended league in Europe, after the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga. Meanwhile, Premier League clubs spent over £4 billion on wages and took £6.1 billion in revenue during the same time period.
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Although the report suggests clubs are becoming more conscious of their expenditure, no team in the Championship made an overall profit before player sales. The division’s 24 clubs recorded an overall loss of £316 million, while £200 million of the revenue came from clubs receiving parachute payments from the Premier League: Burnley, Watford, Norwich City, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion.
"The Football League may have seen an uptick in revenues in 2022-23, but clubs across the EFL are still battling to manage cash requirements," said Deloitte's business sport group's lead partner Trevor Bridge. "Many clubs are propped up by owner funding as they aspire to win promotion, but exiting the league at the wrong end exposes a club to instability.
"This makes a strategy for long-term stability critical, underpinned by appropriate support provided by the governing bodies."
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