Kieran Maguire: This is what Radrizzani and 49ers have done to Leeds amid ‘huge’ verdict
Leeds United have “shock-proofed” themselves by expanding their brand and diversifying their revenue streams.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Whites’ performance throughout the pandemic.
Leeds’ matchday income for the 2020-21 campaign was virtually non-existent as the pandemic meant Elland Road remained empty.
But they earned £132.6m for a 9th-place finish in the Premier League last term and their commercial income has risen steadily in recent years.
Uefa published its annual report into the European game’s club football landscape last Friday (4 February).
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin claimed the 160-page document relayed “sobering details of the post-pandemic challenges that await us.”
But the report also details that commercial and broadcast income held up well throughout the pandemic.
Maguire explains that Andrea Radrizzani and the San Francisco 49ers have done well to insulate Leeds from the worst of the economic fallout.
“Overreliance on a single product is a high-risk strategy,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“We have seen some of the biggest companies expand their services hugely to diversify.
“Matchday income was only 16 per cent of total income for clubs to begin with, and it went to 2 per cent in the pandemic.
“The football industry has done well to come through it relatively unscathed. But the broader your revenue base is, the more shock-proof you are.
“Leeds United have a very strong brand and are looking to utilise it as much as they can to make sure they aren’t overdependent on one stream.
“That is one thing they have over some of the other clubs in a similar position in the league.”
Radrizzani owns 56 per cent of Leeds, while the 49ers own the remaining 44 per cent.
They are due to release their full accounts for the 2020-21 campaign in the first quarter of 2022.
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