£3.6 Bn revenue - Why your Premier League club doesn’t earn as much you think

Paul Macdonald

• 27 Feb 2026 01:30 CST
• 5 min read

Analysis

The figures for every league’s TV deal renewal always lead with the headline number. Premier League breaks record! New TV deal to deliver billions!

While in the case of the Premier League this number is broadly correct, there’s underlying costs attached to these deals which mean even though the big number is huge, there’s a huge chunk to be removed before the clubs see a penny of it.

For example, in the Premier League’s latest statement issuing payments to clubs for 2024/25, it breaks down exactly how much is paid to each.

As you can see, there is the following:

Equal Share: Each team receives exactly the same amount from the domestic and international deals.

Facility Fees: This is given to teams based on the amount of matches shown involving your team in the chosen season.

Merit Share: This is awarded based on the team’s final position in the table.

All very clear, all informative. But the 2024/25 payment to clubs list of £2.83 Bn is someway short of the projected £3.6 Bn earned by clubs across the same period. £770m less, in fact

So where did the rest go?

Payments to the wider game

£550m is distributed to the ‘wider game’. The Premier League breaks this down in a number of ways.

The following numbers are referenced in the PL’s accounts for 2024 and therefore will be an

estimation for 2025.

- £138m for Football League Solidarity and Community. This takes the form payments to Championship, League One and League Two club each season, as well as an additional payment for the National League

- £52m for charitable donations and causes in relation to football

- £25m to The Professional Footballer’s Association

- £17m to the Premier League Stadia Fund which is used to upgrade facilities across the country for disabled access and other purposes)

- £22m listed for ‘wider football support’

These initiatives cover £255m of the £770m that is left over which isn’t distributed to the clubs.

We still have £511m left. Where does that go?

Firstly we have parachute payments. The amount here can vary depending on the season. For example if a team is relegated and is immediately promoted, the parachute payments cease. But a team can still receive a parachute amount in year three of being out of the Premier League.

Three teams coming down from the Premier League to the Championship can expect in the region of £55m each. So that accounts for £165m on its own. And other clubs have gone down, and stayed down, such as Luton Town and Sheffield United, who both were relegated in 2024 and will be in the second year of receiving a (reduced) parachute payment. Those sides can expect, at least, another £80m between them.

In fact in the Premier League, official figures for FY24, roughly £315m is set aside for parachute payments.

That leaves, roughly, £200m left over, and this is the amount that’s often underdiscussed. The Premier League, of course, costs money to run.

Staff Costs: There are now over 300 full-time employees within the Premier League, who get paid, have tax obligations for their employer as well as National Insurance contributions. That accounts for another £45m.

That still leaves £155m, right? This is where it starts to get a little murky. The Premier League has, for a long time, been fighting Manchester City in court as a direct consequence of the 115 charges placed against them. This case has been long, and without resolution, for years now. The PL are having to foot the bill for every lawyer letter, dispute, and court appearance in that time. It’s not cheap.

Everton and Nottingham Forest have also previously appealed points deductions that required legal counsel. The exact amount isn’t designated but we could suggest that £50m has been set aside.

That leaves the remaining £100m. What this goes to isn’t entirely clear but the PL is opening overseas offices to expand its footprint, while IMG’s production costs around Premier League matches cost at least £40m per season. There will be other non-legal administrative costs and responsibilities caught up in this number too.

So when you see these big numbers remember that not all of it makes its way to the clubs - someone has to ensure that the money keeps rolling in.

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