Regulator warns: 94% of clubs make losses and 60% are insolvent
‘State of the Game’ flags rising debt and owner dependency: 66% can’t last 90 days without new funding.
The independent football regulator (IFR) has published ‘State of the Game’ with a stark message: 94% of clubs in England’s top five leagues are loss-making and more than 60% of EFL and National League sides are technically insolvent, with rising debt and over-reliance on owner funding putting clubs and fans at risk.
The report argues the Premier League’s economic strength hasn’t prevented widening financial “cliff edges” inside and between divisions, and backs the urgency with hard figures:
- 68% of clubs have no contingency plan if their owner stops funding
- 66% would not survive beyond 90 days without new owner support
- 29% would not survive beyond 30 days
IFR chair David Kogan said that “Seventeen clubs are now trading in such a way that if their players played for free… they would go bust”, and added: “Thirty-two clubs are operating on only 30 days’ cash”. BBC Sport notes the Premier League and EFL have yet to agree a new funding deal to share more revenue with the rest of the pyramid, while the regulator warns it can impose next steps if football can’t fix the problem.
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