Everton are in the mix for European football this season, as they reside in eighth place in the Premier League table.
Everton are currently three points behind Brentford in seventh place, which will be a Conference League spot.
David Moyes has openly stated his desire to qualify for Europe this season, so the final 12 games have a lot riding on them.
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Everton manager David Moyes on Europe.
With that said, Everton News spoke exclusively to finance expert Adam Williams to get the lowdown on how much the club could earn if they do manage to qualify for the Conference League.
Conference League qualification won’t be transformative for Everton’s finances
Williams has told Everton News that Conference League qualification won’t move the needle much in terms of finances.
“Compared to the Champions League and even the Europa League, the guaranteed sum you get in the Conference League is tiny,” the finance journalist admitted.
“Of UEFA revenues, about 75 per cent goes to the Champions League, 17 per cent to the Europa and then, once those clubs have had their fill, the remaining eight per cent to the Conference League.
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“The flat starting fee is around £2.7m, plus probably a similar-ish amount from the so-called ‘value pillar’ which takes into account the value of the UEFA member nation’s TV deal, historic performance in Europe and a few other factors. So let’s call it £6m in total, which is probably a generous estimate.
“On top of that, you’ll get prize money depending on how many matches you win and draw in the league phase – around £350,000 for a win and £115,000 for a draw. You also get a league phase ranking bonus which rises incrementally depending on where you finish in the table, as well as a bonus for qualifying for the knockout rounds.
“Realistically, you’re probably looking at £2m there, potentially more if you have a really good showing in the league phase. So I think about £8m the baseline that Everton would be budgeting based on if they qualified for the Conference League.”
Everton could earn up to £35m if they go far in the Conference League
Williams then explained that if Everton were to win the Conference League, they could earn up to £35m in total, but not all of that would be profit.
“Beyond that, there is around £10m up for grabs in prize money if you can go on to win the competition. But again, Everton would be budgeting more conservatively based on a more modest performance over the course of the European campaign. So, in total, at the low end, it’s £7-8m; at the high end, it could reach £20m.
“You then also have to look at matchday income. I think Everton would be looking to generate £2-3m per matchday on European nights. You get at least three of those in the Conference League, so another £6-9m in gross revenue. ‘Gross’ is the keyword there, though.
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Troy Parrott lined up for the Republic of Ireland. Ivan Toney playing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. Richarlison playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Credit: Getty Images/Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile/Yasser Bakhsh/Molly Darlington/Copa.
“What complicates things is that not all of that is profit because you have to pay appearance fees to players and, depending on how the contract structure is set up, potentially automatic step-ups in player’s deals if they qualify for Europe.
“Then, there’s administrative expenses for staging more matches at the Hill Dickinson. So if they had a really exceptional campaign in Europe, they might be looking at £35m in total revenue, but then you’d have to strip out maybe, say, £10-12m in extra expenses. For some teams, getting into the Conference League is only profitable if you reach the latter stages of the competition.
“Because of the stadium and the commercial work they are doing, Everton are better placed than most to capitalise, but it’s not going to be transformative in terms of how much you can spend on transfers and wages, unfortunately.”
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