Spanish football clubs are expecting to make a combined profit this season as the country's top two competitions, LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank, recover after the pandemic. The clubs anticipate a net income of €27 million ($30 million) for the current 2022-2023 season, following a loss of €140 million in the previous season. Total revenue is expected to reach €4.9 billion, compared to €4.88 billion in the 2018-2019 season, the last one before the pandemic.
Last season, revenues rose 23% to €4.84 billion as fans were able to watch live matches again after Covid-related restrictions were eased. LaLiga is Europe’s second-largest competition in terms of total revenue, only behind the English Premier League and Championship, which had revenue of €8.4 billion.
The agreement LaLiga reached with CVC Capital Partners for the private equity firm to invest about €2 billion in the competition is also providing Spanish clubs with fresh money. Under the terms of the agreement, clubs have to allocate part of the funds they receive to improving facilities. While that contributed to a 45% annual increase in infrastructure spending, investments in players still represented most of the total.
These positive developments indicate that the Spanish football industry is bouncing back from the challenges faced during the pandemic. With fans back in stadiums and fresh investments being made, the future looks bright for Spanish football.