Arsenal Women ‘reliant’ on parent club’s £11.9m input despite revenue rise

Playing home games at Emirates Stadium increased matchday revenue for Arsenal Women by 35%. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

Arsenal Women experienced huge growth in commercial and matchday revenue last season, but remain ­reliant on funds from the parent club, their latest accounts show.

In the year to 31 May 2025, ­during which Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League and finished ­second in the Women’s Super League, the club nearly trebled their commercial revenue and their matchday revenue increased by 35% to almost £6m, bringing a club‑record profit of £22,000 after tax.

However, £11.9m of “group income” from the parent company underpins revenue of the women’s team and remains by far the largest income source. The accounts state: “At this stage of the development of the women’s game in England, the club is reliant on the backing of Arsenal Football Club Limited which contributes a support fee to supplement the company’s own revenues.

“The club continues to have the unwavering support and commitment of both its immediate ­parent, Arsenal Football Club Limited, and its ultimate parent company, KSE UK Inc. This has allowed the club to invest strongly in its playing squad at a time when the women’s game is seeing a significant growth in interest and support.”

The women’s club revenue was £21.5m, up from £15m, with ­operating expenses of £21.6m, up from £15.4m. A £100,000 profit was made from the disposal of player registrations.

Wages totalled £9.9m before social security and pensions costs, rising by about 22% from the pre­vious ­season. Thanks largely to playing nine of 11 home WSL matches at ­the Emirates Stadium, with an average crowd of 34,110, matchday revenue rose to £5.9m, up 35% from the pre­vious season’s £4.4m. Those numbers are expected to rise this season with all home league games being played at the Emirates Stadium.

Broadcast revenue also increased to just over £2m, up from £956,000, including £1.4m from the ­Champions League campaign. Domestic ­broadcast revenue remains a small part of the club’s income. ­Commercial revenue soared from £649,000 in 2023-24 to £1.8m.

Deloitte revealed in January that Arsenal’s matchday revenue was nearly twice that of any other European women’s side. By far the largest income was from the parent company, up from £9.3m the year before. There are pooled resources for the men’s, women’s and academy teams, such as shared commercial and marketing teams.