Some top-flight clubs reportedly frustrated by preseason tournament in the US having to be propped up by central funds.
- Summer Series launched in 2023 and posted net loss of ‘UK£5.4m’
- 2025 edition also expected to be lossmaking
- Most clubs reportedly supportive of Summer Series
The Premier League could reportedly face pressure from its clubs to scrap the US-based Summer Series preseason tournament.
English soccer’s top flight introduced the Summer Series in 2023, which featured Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham and Brentford playing each other across venues in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, Harrison and Landover. The competition took place from 22nd to 30th July.
The Premier League cancelled the 2024 edition, due largely to calendar congestion caused by the Copa America and Olympic Games, but it returned this year and includes Manchester United, Bournemouth, Everton and West Ham United.
Manchester United are set to earn the most of those involved, at around UK£7.5 million (US$10 million), thanks to their bigger market share.
The Red Devils are the only member of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ to feature in the latest Summer Series. Chelsea and Manchester City played in the Fifa Club World Cup, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur opted to tour elsewhere.
Though the league has thrown its weight behind the Summer Series as part of efforts to showcase its clubs overseas and engage fans stateside, teams are reportedly growing increasingly frustrated by the tournament and may even call for it to be ditched entirely.
According to the Daily Mail, officials at some clubs are angered by the Summer Series having to be propped up by central funds and believe those who do not take part should not be handing money over to those who do.
Not helping matters is the Summer Series’ inability to consistently sell out stadiums and turn a profit, with the 2023 edition purportedly recording a net loss of UK£5.4 million (US$7.2 million). The year’s competition is also expected to post a loss, albeit a reduced one.
The Premier League’s main commercial partners sponsor the Summer Series and the top flight has denied it is struggling to attract more headline sponsors to the event.
The Daily Mail adds that the league takes hosting fees from the cities involved in the Summer Series, but the shortfall is made up from its central pot.
Though the budget for the Summer Series is signed off by clubs, the current situation is reportedly considered untenable by some teams, with plans to raise the matter for discussion at the next shareholders’ meeting in September.
However, any attempt to abandon the Summer Series is likely to be met with stiff opposition, with the bulk of Premier League clubs said to be keen to take part in the competition, given the earning potential and chance to grow their fanbase in the lucrative US market.
While clubs supportive of the Summer Series have reportedly acknowledged that central funds are needed to sustain the tournament, they view this as part of a broader benefit to the Premier League that helps to drive international growth.
The event also serves as another revenue generating opportunity through the likes of ticket sales, merchandise and hospitality, in addition to doubling as an asset for the Premier League’s US broadcast partner NBC, which has a six-year deal in place until 2028 worth a reported US$2.7 billion.
Credit: https://www.sportspro.com/news/premier-league-summer-series-clubs-losses-july-2025/
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