Arsenal overtake Chelsea at the top of WSL-dominated football rich list

Some of the richest clubs in women’s football saw their revenues increase by 35% last year, with Arsenal generating the largest revenue in Europe for the first time since Deloitte began charting the top earners in the women’s game.

The north London side had revenues of €25.6m (£22.2m), narrowly overtaking Chelsea, thanks largely to their €7m of matchday revenue, which was nearly twice as much as anyone else, boosted by their move to play all of their home league fixtures at the Emirates Stadium. So far this season they have attracted an average home attendance of just over 35,000 fans.

Chelsea, meanwhile, brought in by far the highest commercial revenue, €19.1m, of the top 15 clubs included, through partnerships. However, Deloitte’s list does not include any American NWSL clubs, or any clubs from Australia or Sweden, as the relevant data was not available.

Most of Europe was included, however, along with Brazil and Japan, with the Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina raising the 14th-highest revenue of the clubs featured.

It is the fourth year in which Deloitte has profiled 15 of the world’s leading revenue-generating women’s clubs, and the first time those clubs had recorded average revenues above €10m per club. Women’s Super League clubs dominate the list.

Of the WSL’s “big four” sides, Arsenal and Chelsea each generated more than twice as much revenue as their rivals Manchester City and Manchester United.

“As average revenues reach a new high, there is a meaningful gap forming between the top ranked clubs and the rest of the pack,” said Jennifer Haskel, knowledge and insight lead in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. “However, what is clear across the ranking, is that there is no one-size-fits-all blueprint for how to reach and engage fans, or how to deliver on a club’s business objectives.”

Commercial revenue remains women’s team’s key income stream, ahead of matchday and broadcast money, with commercial deals adding up to nearly three-quarters of team’s income, on average.

Matchday revenues rose by 15% on average, despite five WSL clubs reporting a season-on-season decrease in their attendances. Haskel said: “Whilst growth has developed significantly in women’s football in recent years, the shift from the start up phase to the established phase requires consistent time, investment, and effort to develop the foundations in the right manner.”

Header image: [Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA]