Sh120 billion – Here’s how much Covid-19 has cost your favourite club
Premier League
By
Mirror
| Feb 24, 2021
="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/category/428/premier-league">Premier League and Championship clubs< will have lost over £800m this season due to the pandemic keeping fans out of the grounds.
Boris Johnson announced the road map out of lockdown on Monday, with fans earmarked to return to grounds on May 17.
That’s just in time for the last round of Premier League matches, and the EFL playoffs.
For at least half the clubs in the top flight then - and as near as makes no difference for the other half - 2020/21 has been an entire season without match day income.
That’s a combined loss of £693.7m for current Premier League clubs, according to their 2018/19 accounts which are the latest available from when fans could attend all matches.
It’s also a £112.8m loss for clubs currently in the Championship.
That will result in a combined total of £806.5m lost in gate receipts by clubs in the top two divisions of English football.
="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/football/2001402188/man-united-demolish-nine-man-southampton-9-0-at-old-trafford">Manchester United< will be the biggest losers, having previously had the highest matchday income at £110.8m.
They’re followed by ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/premier-league/2001402704/heres-why-arsenal-are-not-top-4-challengers-arteta">Arsenal< (£96.2m), Liverpool (£84.2), and Tottenham (£81.7m).
Premier League sides have huge amounts of broadcast income to soften the blow though, unlike Championship sides.
Matchday income makes up large proportions of turnover at some clubs in the second tier of English football.
Luton’s matchday income in 2018/19 made up 67% of their turnover.
For Barnsley it was 47%, for Millwall 31%, Nottingham Forest 30%, Norwich 29%, Sheffield United 28%, and Preston North End 26%.
The last Premier League game to be played in front of fans was Leicester's win over Aston Villa on March 9.
Liverpool faced Atletico Madrid in the Champions League several days later with away fans flying in from Spain.