Liverpool: Reds Remain 9th In Money List

Despite a lack of European football last season Liverpool FC have retained their 9th place in the Deloitte Football Money League...

The 2013 instalment of auditing firm Deloitte's Football Money League has provided encouraging reading for Liverpool FC.

Despite a lack of European football last season and the club's continued absence from the lucrative Champions League, which has now stretched into its fourth season, the Reds managed to grow revenue by £5.1m (3%) compared to the previous year.

Total revenues for the season 2011-2012 equalled £188.7m with matchday revenue contributing an impressive £4.3m to the increase.

Income from this revenue stream grew by 11% to £42.5m, with the loss of European matchday revenue offset by two successful domestic cup runs and an increase in season ticket costs.

The figure comes even though the Reds played three fewer home matches than in 2010-2011 (24 compared with 27). Average home league attendances rose by 3%, and average revenue per match was up from £1.5m to £1.9m.

This performance still pales into significance compared to domestic rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal however. Therefore the club's confirmation in October 2012 that it plans to redevelop Anfield from its current capacity of 45,000 to 60,000 remains a necessity.

Another area of income to see growth was commercial revenue which totalled £80.2m - an increase of £2.8m (4%). This number was driven largely by the impact of the new kit manufacturer deal with Warrior Sports, worth a reported £25m per season over a six year period.

Alongside the existing shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered, the Warrior agreement underlines Liverpool's commercial potential and a number of new global partnerships with companies such as Chevrolet, Paddy Power and Garuda Indonesia, show the Liverpool brand's enduring legacy and worldwide reach remains strong.

Elsewhere, broadcast revenue of £63.3m (€78.2m) was a decrease of £2m (3%), due primarily to a lack of UEFA distributions associated to European competitions.

Liverpool's eighth-place Premier League finish unsurprisingly resulted in reduced Premier League distributions of £54.4m, compared with £55.2m the previous year.

The top 20 in the list was comprised entirely of teams from the big five leagues - England, Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Real Madrid led the way for an eighth straight year (£430.4m total revenue) ahead of Barcelona and Manchester United.

Liverpool were fifth highest amongst teams based in England with Chelsea (5th), Arsenal (6th) and Manchester City (7th) also above the Reds.

Overall, the revenue of the top 20 clubs in the list is said to have rose 10% to 4.8bn euros.

Vital Verdict
The figures make for pretty good reading considering the large amount of money generated by European football and a high Premier League finishing position. A lot of credit must go to the people who work behind the scenes such as the commercial and matchday teams for increasing revenue even though on-field performances have been erratic. With the prudent, business-like way the owners Fenway Sports Group are now running the club it is highly likely revenue will continue to increase going forward. The new Premier League broadcast deal will further help but to climb up this particular table Liverpool undoubtedly still need an increase to stadium capacity and a return to the Champions League. Overall profit/loss will also be boosted by the continued clear-out of ineffective high earning playing staff such as Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani. Revenue is of course only part of this bigger financial picture, as the Reds look to improve on the loss of £49.4m recorded in the last financial year, but it is a good sign the club is on the right track.

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