By David Owen
February 27 – The profitability of Premier League clubs has shown a sharp deterioration in 2018-19, the period for which financial results are currently being published. But, while their performance is likewise down from the heady levels of last year when, as first predicted by Insideworldfootball, they became the first football club in history to report an annual pre-tax profit of over £100 million, Liverpool continue to purr along rather nicely off the field as well as on.
Details posted today on the runaway league leaders’ website state that pre-tax profit for the year to end-May 2019 amounted to £42 million. This is barely one-third of the previous year’s startling £125 million figure; but it is comfortably the highest 2018-19 profit declared among the 10 top-tier English clubs who have so far reported.
It is also worth bearing in mind that the Reds’ 2019 Champions League triumph was accomplished only on June 1 in Madrid, with victory over Tottenham Hotspur. This means, presumably, that some of the club’s UEFA prize money for the landmark 2018-19 campaign will be accounted for only in the current financial year.
Top-line growth was again extremely strong, with turnover surging well beyond the half-billion pound mark to £533 million. The club said that all revenue streams had shown an increase: media revenue climbing £41 million to £261 million; commercial up £34 million to £188 million; and match revenue ahead £3.5 million to £84 million.
Full analysis, including notably disclosure of the wage bill and transfer-related cash flows, will follow arrival of the accounts in Companies House.
Andy Hughes, chief operating officer, said: “What we are seeing is sustained growth across all areas of the club, which is aligned to the recent performance on the pitch.
“Since this reporting period we have continued to reinvest in the club’s infrastructure and we look forward to the opening of our new training base at Kirkby ahead of the new season…We have also just completed a second-phase consultation on a proposed expansion of the Anfield Road stand which could see an increase in the stadium’s capacity.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713867309labto1713867309ofdlr1713867309owedi1713867309sni@n1713867309ewo.d1713867309ivad1713867309