UCFB academics play key role in report on the future of Championship football

UCFB academics played a prominent role in a new report examining the financial sustainability of clubs in the EFL Championship, with Professor Rob Wilson co-authoring the report, Adam Davis contributing industry expertise, and James Cooper hosting the launch event at the National Football Museum.

Produced as part of the Leonard Curtis Business of Sport series, the inaugural Football Finance Report explores the impact of parachute payments, spending controls, digital growth and investment across football. The report was co-authored by Professor Wilson and fellow football finance academic Dr Dan Plumley.

It highlights the growing financial divide between clubs receiving parachute payments and those without, while also assessing the potential impact of the EFL’s new Squad Cost Rules (SCR).

Alongside Professor Wilson’s role as co-author, fellow UCFB academic Adam Davis was among a select group of industry contributors whose expertise helped inform the report’s findings and recommendations.

Professor Rob Wilson, Provost and Professor of Applied Sport Finance at UCFB, said:

“While SCR should encourage clubs to live more closely within their means, because permitted spending is linked to revenue, higher-revenue clubs retain the ability to sustain much larger playing budgets.

“The rules may therefore improve sustainability without addressing the league’s competitive imbalance, with the Championship’s promotion race increasingly won in the balance sheet.”

The report also introduces a new Digital Footprint Index, measuring the social media reach of Championship clubs across major platforms and highlighting opportunities for clubs to build commercial value through digital engagement.

He added: “For the first time, we’re putting a measure on the digital value and opportunity across the Championship. The findings point to significant untapped potential if clubs can combine compelling stories with younger, international audiences to build brand value far beyond what traditional football fundamentals would predict

“For clubs, investors and commercial partners, that creates a major opportunity to rethink how digital reach is built, valued and monetised.”

Launched at the National Football Museum in Manchester, the report brings together insight from leading experts across football finance, governance and investment, exploring some of the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the professional game.

The launch event was hosted by UCFB’s James Cooper, who also hosts the Leonard Curtis Business of Sport podcast, which is produced with the help of UCFB Manchester students.

Read the full Football Finance Report here.