SPORTS MARKETING
Renaissance Of The
Lion: Has The EPL
Reignited English’s
Football Supremacy In
Europe?
By Richard Wanjohi
Best of the Best...
In the heat of the Brexit debate in the
English Parliament a few weeks ago, the
soon-to-be retired PM Theresa May and
Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn were jibing
each other about the English teams in
Europe. Quoting Corbyn, he stated, “In view
of the amazing performance of Liverpool
last night, perhaps the prime minister could
take some tips from Jürgen Klopp on how
to get a good result in Europe.”
teams. Both politicians were right to gloat
about the dominance of the team. In the
most prestigious football leagues in the
world, the Champions League and Europa
League, England had 4 of its teams in the
Finals. What’s even more fascinating, the
finalists in these leagues finished 2nd, 3rd,
4th and 5th respectively. If you include the
semi-finalists, the top team (Manchester
City) and 6th best (Manchester United)
from the EPL come into play.
To which the PM replied, “I actually think
that when we look at the Liverpool win over
Barcelona last night, what it shows is that
when everyone says it’s all over, that your
European opposition have got you beat, the
clock is ticking down, it’s time to concede
defeat, actually we can still secure success if
everyone comes together.” Taking a trip to last year’s World Cup in
Russia, England managed to best even
the pundits to finish 4th after a fairy
tale tournament. Under the guidance of
then unfancied Lord Gareth Southgate,
as well as a youthful and untested team,
the “Three Lions” managed to upset the
formbook to book a place in the Semis,
only to be undone by the Croats.
The gist of the banter was to show the
supremacy of the English Premier League Making the semis and accumulating
$22 million in prize money as well as
The biggest test now for the EPL is how the
English democracy negotiates the Brexit
process. Having cost two PMs their jobs,
the process seems to be claiming heavy
political casualties. The economy has also
been shook as has been the country’s cur-
rency. It is subtly permeating the sports
scene albeit not with the pronouncements
that the politicos have been warping.
90 MAL30/19 ISSUE
related TV earnings, endorsements and
sponsorships have seen the English
national team become the darling of the
English media and companies too. Does
this indicate a renaissance of English
football?
Conquering Europe...
Analysis from The Guardian (an English
publication) annual review of the
English Premier League clubs shows the
20 EPL teams made record revenues of
$ 6.09 billion (approx.£4.87b). Compare
this with the German Bundesliga which
recorded revenues of $ 4.89 billion for
36 clubs in the two top divisions, or the
Spanish La Liga with $ 4.87 billion for
all 42 clubs in its top two leagues. Notice
how the German and Spanish have
combined the top leagues compared to
the EPL’s 20 clubs?
Observers have attributed the record
revenues to the EPL’s lucrative
international TV rights and once again
the top clubs’ European success. This
will be translated to increased revenues
from UEFA TV and expected prize
money. Expanded capacity in the major
stadia is also another factor – match-day
attendance and season tickets.
In the KPMG’s Soccer Clubs’ Enterprise
Value 2019 ranking, the EPL’s takes
the lion’s share with 6 clubs – with
Manchester United at $ 3,56 billion
being toppled from the top by Spain’s
Real Madrid. London-based and 2019
UEFA Champions League Finalists
rounds up the English teams in the top
10 at number 9 valued at $ 1.85 billion.