Cash is king: Covid-19 leaves sports clubs scrutinising their business in pursuit of cash flow
The sports industry has been on an ever-upwards trajectory in recent years, especially at the top of the sports pyramid. KPMG recently valued[1] the top 32 European football clubs at €35.6 billion in aggregate. On the other side of the pond, Forbes values[2] the 32 U.S. National Football League (NFL) franchises at a staggering $91.4 billion. The growth in values has predominantly come from huge increases in income from broadcasting contracts and advertising. This has also been supplemented by an expansion in commercial sponsorship. For instance, 2017 saw the National Basketball Association (NBA) introduce jersey sponsors and the English Premier League (EPL) introduce a second sponsor to players’ shirts.
However, this growth has been predicated on there being sporting action. Income has largely evaporated as a result of Covid-19. This article identifies key weaknesses in the system and examines the potential repercussions, looking specifically at:
- Income/gate receipts
- Broadcaster and sponsor revenue
- Financial support from governing bodies
- Resisting cash flow insolvency
- Cutting playing staff costs
- Raising outside capital/financial fair play
- The monetary value of goodwill
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- Tags: Commercial | Coronavirus | Corporate | Covid-19 | English Football League (EFL) Broadcasting | English Premier League (EPL) | National Basketball Association (NBA) | National Football League (NFL)
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Written by
Anand Patel
Partner, Level
Anand is a competition/antitrust and regulatory specialist with significant experience advising on competition law and compliance issues, the drafting of rules and regulations, and disputes.
Anand's clients include sports governing bodies, international federations, player associations, clubs, teams, agents and executives. He has a wealth of experience advising sports bodies and stakeholders on competition law issues and the drafting of rules, regulations and policies, and has worked across a range of sports, including football, tennis, cricket, rugby, boxing, motorsport and sailing.
Mark Warren
Managing Associate, Linklaters
Mark Warren is a banking finance lawyer at Linklaters. He is an English law qualified solicitor and has been working in international corporate finance since 2012, having worked in London, Hong Kong, Hamburg and now Amsterdam. He advises domestic and international clients across a range of different financial products, including bank lending, structured finance, securitisation, project finance and derivatives.
