European football: The need for responsible investment in a competitive market

Deloitte’s 2022 Annual Review of Football Finance highlights that despite an almost complete absence of fans during the 2020/21 season, the European football market grew revenues by 10% to €27.6bn.

Football’s resilience, in spite of significant market disruption in recent years, alongside a renewed focus on financial sustainability has caught the eye of investors.

Research from Deloitte’s Sports Business Group highlights a record-level of investor activity in football over recent years, with:

• Over 15 investments made into Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues in 2021, more than in 2019 and 2020 combined (12).
• The vast majority (87%) of investments were made by high-net-worth individuals and private equity firms, with more than a third of investments made by private equity firms.
• Multi-club ownership (MCO) growing in popularity, with over 70 MCOs now thought to be in existence, more than double the amount only five years ago (28).
• Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs now operating within a MCO model.

Download this article to establish the key factors that have contributed to the high level of investor interest in European football, what’s sparking the evolution of the multi-club ownership model and the questions that responsible investors are asking before entering into the sector.