By Ian Grant
Arsenal should be in the top three income earners in world football in 2006/7 according to Deloitte’s latest report on football finances.
The Deloitte Football Money League for the 2003-2004 season, puts Arsenal as sixth richest moving from seventh last year, on £115m.
The planned move in 2006 to a 60,000-seat ground at Ashburton Grove, including around 15,000 executive seats, has prompted industry experts to forecast a significant income upsurge.
Deloitte partner Dan Jones said a key source of revenue is the clubs’ stadia on match and non-match days. This area, which includes restaurant and conference facilities, is one where the top English clubs are proving so successful that Real Madrid and AC Milan could soon find themselves being left behind, he said.
However TV subscription revenues are crucial to the top clubs and Deloitte says this is unlikely to change.
“Pay-TV needs top-level football as much as football needs Pay-TV’s revenues, and therefore we expect broadcasting revenues for the ‘best properties’ to hold their values.”
ANR understands that Arsenal gained £59m from broadcast revenues.
The Deloitte Football Money League for the 2003-2004 season:
Position (prior year’s pos) Income (pounds m)
1 (1) Manchester United 171.5
2 (4) Real Madrid 156.3
3 (3) Milan 147.2
4 (10) Chelsea 143.7
5 (2) Juventus 142.4
6 (7) Arsenal 115.0
7 (13) Barcelona 112.0
8 (6) Internazionale 110.3
9 (5) Bayern Munich 110.1
10 (8) Liverpool 92.3
11 (9) Newcastle United 90.5
12 (11) Roma 72.0
13 (18) Celtic 69.0
14 (16) Tottenham Hotspur 66.3
15 (15) Lazio 65.8
16 (n/a) Manchester City 61.9
17 (14) Schalke 04 60.5
18 (n/a) Marseilles 58.3
19 (n/a) Rangers 57.1
20 (n/a) Aston Villa 55.9