6. ChelseaDeloitte Football Money League 2012 |
| 2011 revenue | 2010 revenue | 2010 position |
|---|---|---|
| €249.8m (£225.6m) | €255.9m (£209.5m) | (6) |
Chelsea remain in sixth position in the Money League with a £16.1m (8%) increase in revenues to £225.6m (€249.8m), closing the gap to fifth placed Arsenal from £14.9m to £1.2m (€1.3m).
A disappointing season on the pitch, compared with the previous year, saw the Blues finish runner-up in the Premier League to Manchester United, who also defeated them in the Champions League quarter finals. FC Porto’s Europa League winning coach André Villas-Boas has replaced Carlo Ancelotti as team manager for the 2011/12 season.
Broadcast revenues accounted for almost all of Chelsea’s increase, with matchday and commercial revenues similar to the previous year.
Broadcast revenue increased £15.4m (18%) to £101.4m (€112.3m), due to a more successful Champions League campaign delivering increased UEFA distributions and increased Premier League payments. Progression to the Champions League quarter-finals saw distributions increase from €32.6m to €44.5m (£40.2m). The new Premier League broadcast deals saw Chelsea’s distribution grow by £4.9m (9%) to £57.7m (€63.9m), despite finishing runner-up in 2010/11 compared to Champions in the previous year.
Matchday revenue increased slightly by £0.3m to £67.5m (€74.7m), with capacity average league home match attendances of 41,435 in 2010/11. Prolonged European and domestic cup campaigns are needed to increase matchday revenue, due to the capacity constraints at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s average matchday revenue of £2.5m (€2.8m) in 2010/11 is significantly below that of Manchester United, who generated £3.7m (€4.1m) per home match, and Arsenal at £3.3m (€3.7m). With the Blues continuing to be amongst the lower half of Money League clubs in terms of average attendance, the club is currently exploring options to either redevelop Stamford Bridge or move to a new stadium.
Chelsea showed a small increase in commercial revenue of £0.4m (1%) to £56.7m (€62.8m). The club’s commercial revenue is underpinned by shirt sponsorship and kit supply deals with Samsung and Adidas respectively. Chelsea complemented their commercial partnership portfolio by signing a six-year deal from 2011/12 with Right to Play, the international humanitarian charity, which will see the charity’s logo appear on the Blues’ Champions League shirts.
Significantly outperforming Arsenal in the Champions League and Premier League is fundamental to challenging for a top five Money League placing in the short term, whilst a sustained longer term challenge is dependent on addressing its stadium issues in order to drive higher matchday and commercial revenues.
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The Deloitte Football Money League 2012 top 20 clubs |
