Depiction of Play forward

Play forward

10 Posts

Shaping football’s sustainable future

Play Forward is a series of reports focused on building a fair, sustainable, and successful global football industry. Economics is at the centre of finding a solution and securing the future objectives of the industry. From football financing to competitive balance, economics sets frameworks to assess the overall success of competing aims and provides clarity on the strategies for the future.

The first report in the series focuses on the financial regulation of European football clubs. It assesses the six largest men’s national football leagues across Europe and provides an overview of the current regulations within those countries. In addition, it examines the impact of these regulations on clubs, while also offering insights for clubs, leagues and potentially even future regulators considering the optimal design of regulatory systems in the coming seasons.

The second report examines the rapid growth of women’s football, driven by record participation, rising attendances, and increased professionalisation. While investment and commercial interest are accelerating, challenges remain around financial sustainability, competitive balance, and governance. The report highlights key trends and offers economic insights to support the sport’s continued growth in a fair and sustainable way.

Download the second report

Play forward: 10 posts

Articles
< 1 minute read
Depiction of Assessing the financial regulation of European football clubs

Assessing the financial regulation of European football clubs

The roar of the crowd, the thrill of the game—football is a global phenomenon. With rising TV audiences and lucrative commercial deals, it has become big business. Money has surged into the game and changed the incentives for clubs, their executives and owners. So, what needs to be done to… Read More

Articles
< 1 minute read
Depiction of Assessing the state of play of women’s football

Assessing the state of play of women’s football

Women’s football has been experiencing fast and sustained growth and is rapidly increasing in popularity around the world, both in terms of participation and viewership. The evidence suggests that this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The second report in the Play Forward series… Read More

Articles
9 minute read
Depiction of Exclusive dealing and foreclosure in EU sports: unpacking the economics in the European Court of Justice’s 2023 Christmas gift

Exclusive dealing and foreclosure in EU sports: unpacking the economics in the European Court of Justice’s 2023 Christmas gift

On 21 December 2023, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) pulled the red card for sports associations arbitrarily excluding competing sports organisers in their prior approval rules, acknowledging the potential harm to competition. What does this mean for the future of prior approval rules of sports federations? And how should… Read More

Articles
23 minute read
Depiction of Caught offside? The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation and European football clubs

Caught offside? The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation and European football clubs

There have already been two well-publicised requests for the Commission to use its ex officio powers under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), to investigate alleged distortive subsidies granted to two European professional football clubs by their Gulf states’ owners. We set out the economic and financial questions that would… Read More

Articles
12 minute read
Depiction of Striking a balance: legal and economic scrutiny of exclusive dealing in EU sports

Striking a balance: legal and economic scrutiny of exclusive dealing in EU sports

Can a dominant sports organiser demand exclusivity from athletes or clubs? The ongoing European Super League and International Skating Union cases on exclusive dealing in sports, currently in front of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), are raising new legal and economics questions. For example, what should… Read More

Articles
3 minute read
Depiction of Squad goals: UEFA’s new financial regulations

Squad goals: UEFA’s new financial regulations

Yesterday (7 April 2022), following a lengthy review, UEFA announced that it has approved new UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations, which will impose a new approach to financial regulation on football clubs competing in UEFA competitions. Read More

Articles
10 minute read
Depiction of Tactical innovation or own goal? The proposals for an independent football regulator

Tactical innovation or own goal? The proposals for an independent football regulator

The UK government is currently considering proposals to introduce an independent football regulator to oversee club ownership and finances. This is a radical proposal that could have substantial implications for how football is governed in England and in other European countries, and potentially also for the governance of other sports. Drawing on Oxera’s 40 years of experience in economic regulation, this article considers the rationale for regulation and some of the potential challenges that a regulator might face. Read More

Articles
5 minute read
Depiction of They think it’s all over… Economic dynamics behind the European Super League

They think it’s all over… Economic dynamics behind the European Super League

The announcement of the European Super League (and the subsequent climbdown) has attracted attention across the globe. As discussed in this article, the Super League forms part of a wider narrative of changing football audiences and the difficult decisions that clubs face when monetising them. The announcement that 12… Read More

Articles
13 minute read
Depiction of Assessing state aid in the beautiful game

Assessing state aid in the beautiful game

As the old saying goes: ‘football is a funny old game’. Indeed, some characteristics of football clubs create specific challenges when applying the standard state aid frameworks to assess whether measures constitute aid and whether any aid is in line with state aid rules. Read More

Articles
8 minute read
Depiction of Like an economist at Wimbledon

Like an economist at Wimbledon

To what extent is future success affected by past success? This topical question has implications for many areas of society, including education. However, a new study suggests that the answer may come from an unexpected direction: tennis. We look at why tennis players who are matched against someone of… Read More