The Premier League is expected to contribute £33 billion ($44.1 billion) in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy between 2025 and 2028, according to a new report by EY.
The league and activities linked to the competition are also projected to generate £14.8 billion ($19.8 billion) in tax revenues and support 107,600 full-time equivalent jobs each year.
The report highlights the Premier League’s growing economic footprint, with its contribution to the UK economy increasing 14-fold since the 1998-99 season.
The competition is currently broadcast in 189 countries and reaches an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion people. Audiovisual export revenues generated by the Premier League stand at £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion), a figure broadly equivalent to the combined audiovisual exports of the rest of the UK television sector.
Premier League boosts UK tourism
The league’s economic impact also extends to tourism.
During the 2023-24 season, the Premier League attracted 1.1 million international visitors to the UK, generating more than £1 billion ($1.34 billion) in GVA.
Those visitors accounted for 2.6% of all international tourists visiting the UK during the period.
The economic impact is particularly significant outside London. Clubs based outside the capital generated 60% of the Premier League’s GVA and accounted for 66% of league-related employment during the 2023-24 season.
The economic contribution generated outside London reached £5.9 billion ($7.9 billion), including £3.1 billion ($4.2 billion) in the North West of England.
£4.3 billion in social value
The Premier League’s impact also extends to community and social programmes.
A total of 164 clubs across the country receive funding to deliver initiatives in schools and local communities. According to an independent analysis by social research agency Substance, programmes supported by the Premier League Foundation and club foundations are expected to generate £4.3 billion ($5.8 billion) in social value between 2025 and 2028.
Some 83% of that social value is expected to be generated outside London.
The programmes cover areas including education, employment, crime reduction, physical and mental health, wellbeing and community cohesion.
Stadium investment reaches new levels
The growth of the Premier League has also driven significant investment in stadiums and infrastructure.
Average Premier League stadium capacity has increased by 55% since the competition’s inaugural 1992-93 season, representing an accumulated increase of more than 290,000 seats.
Of the 51 clubs that have competed in the Premier League, 22 have built or moved into new stadiums, while 27 have undertaken major redevelopment projects.
The 2025-26 season also set a new attendance record, with 15.9 million spectators attending Premier League matches.
Planned and proposed stadium projects could eventually take total Premier League capacity above 900,000 seats.
Between 2014 and 2024, Premier League clubs invested £4.8 billion ($6.4 billion) in capital expenditure, with projects including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium among the largest investments.
A further £3.7 billion to £9 billion ($5.0 billion-$12.1 billion) of planned and proposed investment could create an estimated 110,000 full-time jobs linked to construction activity.
The Premier League is also investing in football infrastructure through the Football Foundation and the Premier League Stadium Fund, established in partnership with the Football Association and the UK government.
Over the past 25 years, Football Foundation investment has improved facilities and pitches used by 127,000 grassroots football teams, while the Premier League Stadium Fund has supported more than 1,000 clubs across the National League system and the women’s football pyramid.
EY UK chief economist Peter Arnold said the Premier League had evolved from a domestic competition into one of the UK’s leading global exports, with an economic and social footprint extending across clubs, communities and the wider English football ecosystem.