An EY study on the 2019/20 season has highlighted how the Premier League and its clubs continued to generate widespread benefits for the economy, society and the entire football pyramid, despite the significant challenges presented by COVID-19.
The League and clubs drive significant economic activity across the UK, supporting thousands of jobs, creating expenditure across supply chains and generating sizeable tax revenue.
"The League's global appeal continues to be a key factor in driving its economic impact, and the League plays a significant role at the heart of clubs' communities," EY UK chief economist Peter Arnold said.
Benefiting society and the wider game
Based on 2019/20 figures, in a season impacted by COVID-19, the Premier League and its clubs' annual contribution was as follows:
- £7.6 billion value added to the UK economy (GVA)
- £3.6 billion direct tax contributions (incl £1.4 billion from players)
- 94,000 jobs supported in the UK
- 840 per cent growth in economic contribution of Premier League clubs since season 1998/99
Impact across the UK (2019/20)
- 97.8 per cent stadium utilisation across the League (prior to COVID-19 disruption)
- 72 per cent of the League's economic footprint was located outside of London
- 21,000 full-time jobs supported by the Premier League in the North West of England, with an economic impact of £2.1 billion driven by the Premier League in the region
- 150 Premier League, EFL and National League clubs supported to deliver community projects
- 5,250+ grants to 1,030 clubs to improve stadiums and facilities across 109 leagues (since 2000)
West Ham United: A pillar of the community
The EY study revealed the positive impact West Ham United had on the regional economy in the 2018/19 season, including:
- The club contributed a total of £300million in Gross Value Added to the regional economy, both directly and indirectly through its supply chain, job opportunities and the visitor economy. This supported 3,300 local and regional jobs.
- Almost half (45 per cent) of all staff were residents of boroughs local to the club.
- The club invested £5million into the Chadwell Heath and Rush Green training facilities, and London Stadium.
Broadcast export value and tourism impact
The League's global appeal continues to be a key factor in driving its economic impact, the EY report found.
Broadcast exports reached £1.4 billion in the 2019/20 season, almost half of the UK's TV exports, and engaged a cumulative global audience of 3.2 billion.
The League's export level rivalled the combined exports of the UK's major media broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and the independent sector.
The League is therefore an important asset for "Global Britain", with this appeal also helping to drive the visitor economy as hundreds of thousands of international visitors travel to the UK each year to watch Premier League clubs.
Combined with hundreds of thousands of domestic tourism trips, over £442 million is generated in expenditure in regions across the country throughout the year.
Premier League is the leading British icon
Yonder's British Icon Index is an analysis of 14 institutions, industries and brands and how the public respond to them across 11 international markets.
In 2022, the Premier League topped the Index for the third time, outperforming all other icons in combining the qualities the UK wants to project about itself abroad.
Although luxury brands such as Rolls-Royce and Jaguar Land Rover continued to perform well across each market polled, it was the global reach of the Premier League which put it at the top the Index, performing particularly strongly in South East Asia and Africa.