Dan Plumley: West Ham attendances and revenue could hand them FFP edge
We’re delighted to welcome football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley as our exclusive West Ham United columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium...
Dan Plumley has insisted that West Ham United could use their high matchday revenue to give them a boost over other clubs in regards to Financial Fair Play rules.
The Finance Guru admitted that in simple terms, the more that clubs earn, the more they can technically spend in the transfer window, so more matchday and commercial gains give them that financial edge.
It comes after the Irons were ranked eight across Europe for average matchday attendances, ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Real Madrid.
“Certainly if you look at the new FFP regulations in the simplest light then the more you earn, the more you can spend based on that,” he exclusively told West Ham Zone.
“Matchday revenues are always a boost in that regard if you can have more fans than the opposition, TV deals are relatively fixed within the league so you don’t get much more than other clubs unless you play in Europe.
“So, when you look at that, any matchday or commercial gains can give you a financial edge and in West Ham’s position and being able to fill that stadium size, any little you can squeeze out of that can give you an edge.”
West Ham United fans packing out the London Stadium and creating that atmosphere is brilliant to see, but it is also so beneficial financially to the club.
David Gold and Sullivan won’t want to be pumping too much of their own money into things and paying over the odds for transfers, so bringing in this extra revenue compared to others is critical.
With the London Stadium expanding and plans to go even further too, that is only going to keep rising too, meaning that FFP gain could keep creeping higher with each passing year for West Ham.
What a boost that would be.