In the Premier League, new stadiums, expansions and revamps are in vogue.
No fewer than 12, yes 12, clubs are either in the process of expanding/rebuilding or have outlined plans to do so.
Then, there’s Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham, who have moved into new stadiums over the last decade, with varying degrees of commercial success.
Not so long ago, matchday income was the ugly duckling of most Premier League clubs’ three primary revenue streams, the other two being TV money and commercial.
But that has changed, with several of the so-called ‘Big Six’ pulling in £100m-plus through the turnstiles. And this week, Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance revealed that Premier League clubs will collectively post revenues of £1.1bn in matchday income for 2025-26.
So what is the long-term plan for stadiums in English football? And how can the Premier League ownership class increase matchday revenue without alienating bedrock fans?
Well, according to one football finance expert, they might actively be trying to price out everyday fans.
Wave of Premier League stadium expansions will squeeze out normal fans, says Kieran Maguire
“You have got to separate the clubs who are seen by their owners as global entertainment complexes and those who are still viewed as community assets,” says University of Liverpool football finance lecturer Professor Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to HITC.
“The hardcore fans will always focus on that latter category, but there is now a class of owner whose focus is on the former. If you look at a small club, they can’t claim to be a global brand so their focus and pricing strategy has to be on delivering for the local community. Other clubs don’t have to apply that.
“Ultimately, matchday revenue is a function of three elements: yield per fan per match, multiplied by the number of seats, multiplied by the number of matches.
“We have seen with the extension of the Club World Cup and the expansion of the Champions League that the authorities want to increase the number of matches. You can say the same about clubs authorising pre and post-season tours.
“The most expensive of those three elements I mentioned is capacity – it costs a lot of money to increase the size of your stadium. Every expansion is geared towards a demographic of fan who is not local and who is willing to pay a lot more for a hospitality day ticket. Your yield increases there. It’s Economics 101.”
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