Skip to content
Insporta Book
en
EnglishРусскийDeutschEspañolEestiSuomiItalianoFrançaisPolski日本語한국어中文
FootballCricketFutsalTriathlonTennisGolfFigure SkatingBasketballMethodologyWhy it worksTake a test

Football · Level 7: Upper-Advanced · Sub-level 7.79

Football Economics

10 tests · 100 facts · updated 12 October 2026 · markdown

How the money works in football: revenue streams, television, matchday and commercial income, wages, transfer accounting, solidarity payments, parachutes, ownership and the financial rules, each figure tied to its season.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Where a club's money comes fromTake a test

  1. Deloitte groups club income into those three streams and leaves out player sales.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · recall

  2. Deloitte's 2025 Money League showed Real Madrid's income passing €1bn, helped by the rebuilt Bernabéu.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · recall

  3. Transfer profits vary wildly from year to year, so the ranking sticks to recurring income.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  4. UEFA's payments come mostly from selling television rights, so they are grouped with broadcast income.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · recall

  5. Income says nothing about spending; many clubs use revenue growth to raise wages and fees.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  6. Without big broadcast deals, developing and selling players is the main way to balance the books.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  7. Domestic and overseas television money gives even mid-table English clubs more than many Champions League sides.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  8. Collective selling puts all the money in one pot before it is divided among the twenty clubs.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  9. Clubs sell season tickets before the season, earn UEFA money as matches are played, and get merit money once positions are final.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  10. Television money makes up about half of Premier League income, far more than tickets or sponsorship.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

Test 2Broadcasting dealsTake a test

  1. Sky and TNT Sports agreed a record four-year deal in December 2023.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  2. The other half is split between merit payments by position and facility fees for live matches.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  3. A royal decree ended individual deals, which had let Real Madrid and Barcelona take far more than the rest.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  4. Pooled money shared by formula protects competitive balance; individual deals favour the biggest clubs.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  5. Clubs shown more often on live television receive more facility fees.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  6. Overseas income was shared equally until 2019; since then the growth above the previous level is partly paid by league position.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  7. Viewers pay to watch as it happens, which makes live packages the most valuable part of any deal.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  8. Deals usually run for three or four seasons and are sold well before the first of them starts.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  9. Live league football began in 1983, Sky's first Premier League season was 1992-93, and the £6.7bn deal starts in 2025-26.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  10. Live matches cannot be shown between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays, to protect attendances across the leagues.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

Test 3Matchday incomeTake a test

  1. Boxes and premium lounges sell food, drink and service with the seat, at many times the price of a normal ticket.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  2. The clubs agreed the cap after supporters' campaigns; it has been renewed since.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  3. Standing terraces and fan influence under the 50+1 model keep many German tickets well below English prices.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  4. Barça moved to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys for the 2023-24 season and beyond while the Camp Nou was rebuilt.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  5. Grounds are fuller than ever, but broadcast income has multiplied far beyond what tickets can match.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  6. Summer season-ticket money helps pay wages and fees during the months with no matches.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  7. A stadium used only for 25 or so matches a year earns nothing on the other 340 days.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  8. Standing is the cheapest way into a top-flight match; premium hospitality is by far the most expensive.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  9. The Emirates opened in 2006, Tottenham's ground in 2019 and Everton's new home for 2025-26.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  10. Tottenham's retractable pitch reveals an artificial surface for American football and events, earning money on non-match days.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

Test 4Commercial and shirt dealsTake a test

  1. It was the biggest kit deal in football at the time, paid over a decade from 2015-16.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  2. The clubs agreed the ban in 2023; gambling logos may still appear on sleeves and elsewhere.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  3. Barça had never sold the front of the shirt; from 2011 the Qatar Foundation became its first paid shirt sponsor.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  4. Naming rights are a commercial deal, like shirt and training-kit sponsorship.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  5. Sponsors pay for reach, and clubs followed worldwide can sell far more partnerships.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  6. Many deals combine a guaranteed fee with a percentage of merchandise sales above a target.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  7. Splitting sponsorships by region lets a club sell the same category several times.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  8. UNICEF appeared in 2006, sleeve sponsors in 2017-18, and the gambling ban starts in 2026-27.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

  9. The fixed fee is only part of it; the royalties depend on how well the shirts sell.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  10. Sleeve deals added a new commercial slot worth millions a year to the bigger clubs.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · recall

Test 5Wages and the wage billTake a test

  1. Wages above about seven-tenths of income leave little for transfers, debt or a bad season.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  2. Each club may name a small number of designated players whose wages count only partly against the cap.

    Source: MLS roster rules and regulations (Designated Player Rule) · recall

  3. Clubs pay separately for the right to use a player in marketing, often through his own company.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  4. Automatic cuts protect a relegated club from paying top-flight wages on second-tier income.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  5. Paying extra for appearances, goals or titles ties the wage bill to the success that earns the income.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  6. The ratio is the standard quick test of how much of a club's income goes on pay.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  7. Long contracts often build in annual increases, loyalty payments and bonuses that grow over time.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  8. The comparison matters most: a ratio that is normal in one league may be dangerous in another.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  9. The basic wage is guaranteed; appearance money depends on playing, and a title bonus on the team winning.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  10. Club C spends well over 70% of its income on wages; Clubs A and B are below that line.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

Test 6How a transfer fee is accountedTake a test

  1. The European Court of Justice also struck down quotas on EU players, changing the transfer market for good.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · recall

  2. Very long contracts had let clubs spread fees thinly; UEFA and later the Premier League capped amortisation at five years.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  3. With no fee to write off, nearly the whole transfer price counts as profit that year.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · applied

  4. The selling club keeps a percentage of any future fee, which can be worth more than the original sale.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  5. Add-ons depend on appearances, goals or trophies, so the full fee is only paid if they happen.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  6. Profit on a sale is the price minus the fee not yet written off.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · applied

  7. An eight-year deal cut the yearly cost of a signing, helping clubs pass spending rules; the five-year cap closed it.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · applied

  8. The fee is not an expense on day one; it is spread over the contract.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · applied

  9. Fees are often paid over several years, and the last pieces depend on events after the move.

    Source: Club accounts and commercial announcements · applied

  10. Spreading the fee in equal parts over the contract is amortisation: £10m a year for five years.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · applied

Test 7Solidarity and training compensationTake a test

  1. Five percent is set aside and shared among the clubs he played for between the ages of 12 and 23.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · recall

  2. It rewards clubs for training young players and is owed until the end of the season of his 23rd birthday.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · recall

  3. The Clearing House collects and pays out the money so small training clubs are not forgotten.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · recall

  4. A share of a record fee for a player they coached at 14 can be worth more than their annual budget.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · applied

  5. Part of the competition's income goes to clubs knocked out in qualifying and to domestic leagues.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  6. Seasons from 12 to 15 earn less than seasons from 16 to 23, when training is closer to the professional game.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · applied

  7. Tracing a player's training clubs across countries was hard, and many entitlements went unclaimed.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · applied

  8. A season between 12 and 15 earns 0.25% of the fee, a season from 16 to 23 earns 0.5%, and the whole pot is 5%.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · applied

  9. The buying club withholds the solidarity share and it is passed on to the clubs that trained the player.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · applied

  10. Each of those eight seasons earns 0.5%, and each season from 12 to 15 earns 0.25%, adding up to 5%.

    Source: FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House · recall

Test 8Parachute payments and promotion moneyTake a test

  1. Clubs relegated after a single season get two years of payments; longer stays earn three.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  2. Money from the Premier League lets relegated sides keep bigger squads than clubs without parachutes.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  3. Parachute money and a strong squad help some clubs bounce straight back, and then drop again.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  4. Clubs in the Football League that do not receive parachutes get a smaller annual payment from the Premier League.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · recall

  5. The regulator can oversee club finances and ownership, and has powers over how money flows down the pyramid.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  6. Even the smallest share of Premier League broadcast income is several times a Championship club's revenue.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  7. Clubs spend beyond their income hoping to go up; in the Championship wages often exceed total revenue.

    Source: Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance · applied

  8. The payments fall each year, so the best chance to bounce back is straight away.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  9. Parachutes and contract clauses soften the fall, but most relegated clubs still have to sell.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

  10. A club relegated after only one season gets the first two payments; the third is for longer stays.

    Source: Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements · applied

Test 9Ownership modelsTake a test

  1. The four had shown healthy finances, so they kept their member-owned model; others became sporting limited companies.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · recall

  2. John Textor's holdings linked Palace and Lyon, and UEFA's multi-club rules let only one of them play in the Europa League.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · recall

  3. It owns or part-owns Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City, Girona and others.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · applied

  4. The trust took control after the club's financial crisis and runs it on a members' model.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · recall

  5. The Glazer family's leveraged buyout left the club paying interest on the money borrowed to buy it.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · applied

  6. Listed clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Juventus can raise capital, but must publish more information.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · applied

  7. Members own the club, so decisions such as moving grounds or selling up need the fans' consent.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · applied

  8. Dortmund listed in 2000, Juventus in 2001 and Manchester United in New York in 2012.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · recall

  9. Trust ownership turns supporters into the club's owners, voting on who runs it.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · applied

  10. Lyon, then also controlled by John Textor's Eagle Football, finished higher in its league, so UEFA kept Lyon in the Europa League.

    Source: Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions · recall

Test 10Financial rules: FFP, squad cost, PSRTake a test

  1. Clubs had to show they spent no more than they earned, with some losses allowed, from the 2011-12 monitoring period.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  2. The limit assumes owners cover part of the losses; clubs above it face sanctions such as points deductions.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  3. The original ten-point penalty was cut to six on appeal; a second two-point deduction followed the same season.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  4. The charges, covering nine seasons, went to an independent commission.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  5. It limits how much of its income a club may spend on players' wages, amortised fees and agents.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  6. The new rule controls the main cost driver, player spending, rather than only the bottom line.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · applied

  7. Forest lost four points for exceeding the loss limit, in the same season as Everton's deductions.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  8. The limit was phased in from 2023-24 to 2025-26, tightening by ten points each season.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  9. FFP monitoring began in 2011-12, the Premier League deductions came in 2023-24, and the 70% limit applied in 2025-26.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

  10. After 90% and 80% in the first two seasons, the limit settled at 70% from 2025-26.

    Source: UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR) · recall

Sources

IFAB Laws of the Game / FIFA & UEFA regulations and technical reports / Opta & StatsBomb definitions / coaching literature / peer-reviewed research

  • Club accounts and commercial announcements28
  • Premier League, La Liga and broadcaster announcements19
  • UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations; Premier League Handbook (PSR)18
  • Deloitte Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance14
  • FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; FIFA Clearing House10
  • Club ownership records and UEFA multi-club decisions10
  • MLS roster rules and regulations (Designated Player Rule)1