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Chelsea lead WSL finances

The authoritative Swiss Ramble reviews the finances of the Women's Super League,   Overall the WSL reported a £7.2m pre-tax loss for the division, an improvement on the previous season’s £8.9m.

WSL clubs invariably operate at a loss with their parent companies covering the shortfall. Only four clubs made (small profits), led by Manchester United £101k, but eight of the 12 lost money – four above a million: Brighton £1.9m, Chelsea £1.8m, Tottenham £1.3m and Reading £1.2m.

Chelsea £3.849m had the highest reported revenue, just ahead of Arsenal £3.763m followed by Manchester City £2.8m, Manchester United £1.7m, Everton £1.7m and Liverpool £1.7m. WSL revenue partly depends on how much income is shared from the parent company in the commercial area.

Similar to revenue, Chelsea have the highest expenses in WSL with £5.7m, well ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City, both £3.8m, followed by Brighton £2.2m and Manchester United £2.0m. Relegated Liverpool lagged behind with a budget of only £1.7m

WSL broadcast rights were owned by BT Sport and the BBC, who cover their costs rather than pay for rights – in stark contrast to the men’s game. A £500k prize fund was added in 2019/20, thanks to Barclay’s sponsorship deal, with the champions receiving £100k and last place £6k.

There will be a new 3-year WSL TV deal from 2021/22 worth £8m a year with Sky showing up to 44 live games and BBC 22 (18 on BBC One or BBC Two). Revenue split between WSL 75% and Women’s Championship 25%.

Furthermore, there is a new 4-year UEFA Champions League TV deal from 2021/22 worth €24m a year, more than 4 times more than the current figure. Teams in group stage guaranteed €400k (almost 5 times current money for reaching last 16), while winner gets €1.4m maximum.

Despite the impressive growth over the previous deal, the winners of the UEFA Women’s Champions League will still only receive 1.6% of the amount the winners of the men’s competition will receive (€1.4m compared to €85.1m), albeit up from 0.5%.

Not all WSL clubs publish wages, but Manchester City is highest of those that do provide details with £2.5m, followed by Arsenal £2.2m and Brighton £1.3m. Given that Chelsea’s total expenses are much higher than City, their wages are almost certainly the highest in the league.   The 56 staff at Chelsea is significantly more than the next highest, Tottenham and Reading 36.

Unsurprisingly, the budget at WSL clubs is considerably lower than their male counterparts, especially at Liverpool and Manchester United, 0.3% and 0.4% respectively, e.g. Liverpool £1.7m vs. £564m. Highest ratio is at Reading 2.9%, which is more a reflection of low men’s budget
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