The ultimate gamble: English clubs bet their homes on uncertain futures
3 June 2020
Offthepitch.com research shows that just half of EPL and one third of Championship clubs have full ownership of their stadiums.
Sale and leaseback structures have trebled in the past two years.
Organised criminals have allegedly taken control of one lower league club’s stadium.
Losing stadium ownership has some upside, but risk factors are severe and homelessness can even lead to dissolution.
When a serious crisis appears, companies tend to look at their most valuable assets and consider whether they could provide some much-needed liquidity. But only few Premier League and Championship clubs would be able to use the value of their stadiums in a cash-generating manoeuvre on the back of the coronavirus pandemic.
Original research by offthepitch.com reveals that just half of Premier League clubs hold complete ownership of their stadiums, a figure which falls to just one third in the Championship.
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