Tottenham are officially the richest club in London according to the latest update to Deloitte's Football Money League. For the past 27 years, Deloitte have released an annual list of the highest revenue-generating football club in the world and for the first time, Tottenham are leading the way in the capital.
The biggest reason for their rise up the rankings has all to do with the revenue generated from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has proven to be a hub for non-football related events in London, including NFL matches and blockbuster concerts.
It has seen Tottenham leapfrog Chelsea and officially become the 8th richest football club in the world with annual revenues of £549.2m. Chelsea are one place below Spurs with annual revenues of £513.5m while their North London rivals, Arsenal, sit in tenth place with annual revenues of £463.1m. The next London club on the list is West Ham, in 18th place, with annual revenues of £240m.
How the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has boosted Spurs' revenues
During the 2022/23 season, the year the latest figures are taken from, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium played host to two sell-out NFL matches between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints and New York Giants and Green Bay Packers – the first time the Packers had played outside of the USA.
In addition to the NFL double-header, Beyonce played five nights at the stadium with each one selling out to capacity while Pink, Lady Gaga and Guns N' Rose all also played shows at the state-of-the-art stadium in North London.
On the football side, Spurs have made, on average, more than £ 105m per season since moving from White Hart Lane to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019 which perhaps justifies Daniel Levy's decision to take the club away from its home of 118 years.
One of Deloitte's Sports Business Group's directors, Sam Boor, told the Daily Mail:
“A huge reason for Tottenham's growth is the club being able to fully leverage and monetise the stadium, both in terms of the match-day income and the commercial activities.
“The broadcast income from Uefa for being in the Champions League last season has also helped them move up the rankings. Match-day income is one of the big differences, though, and Chelsea are looking to redevelop their stadium, which remains an issue.”
Real Madrid lead the way
Elsewhere in the rankings, Real Madrid have reclaimed top spot from Manchester City with annual revenues of £723m with Manchester City's fall from the spot being put down to disappointing matchday revenues from the Etihad Stadium in comparison to other clubs.
Despite that, City are still considered the richest club in England with annual revenues of £718.2m. Next up is Manchester United in fifth place overall with annual revenues of £648.5m although the Reds could be set for a brand new stadium in the coming years which could help to push them back up towards top spot.
Liverpool are in 7th place with annual revenues of £593m and they will also be hoping for higher revenues in the coming years once the Anfield renovation is complete.
Tradition returning at Tottenham Hotspur stadium
The increased revenue generated by the new stadium may not have been enough to transform Spurs into the richest club in the world, they are still some way off of that feat in fact, but the the ground is adored by Tottenham fans just the same.
However, the supporters may soon become even bigger admirers of the stadium after the club recently revealed plans to bring their iconic White Hart Lane gates to the new facility. The plans were first discussed last year at a fan-advisory meeting, but now seem a real possibility.
After the most recent meeting, the minutes explain that the club are “currently progressing an interim solution for the Bill Nicholson Gates to be installed in the area between the back of Percy House and the Ticket Office – this will now be progressed through planning with Haringey Council.”
Although that specific location is not at the forefront of the ground, it is believed that this solution is only temporary until a more suitable location is agreed upon.