Business of Sport
How can the magic of the EFL Championship be preserved amid its financial challenges?
English football’s second tier is the focus for the latest episode of the Sport, Structured podcast, as former West Ham, Wolves and Norwich City winger Matt Jarvis reflects on his experiences of playing in the EFL Championship and shares his views on what the future might hold for the world’s wealthiest second division.
Matt – who wrote the foreword to the new Leonard Curtis Football Finance Report – joins host James Cooper and regular guests, the world-leading football finance academic Prof Rob Wilson, and Leonard Curtis Business of Sport lead Alex Cadwallader.
Unravelling the key findings from the new report, the sixth episode of the Sport, Structured podcast, explores:
- The last ten years of financial data in the Championship and what they tell us about its future
- The potential impact of the league’s new Squad Cost Rules (SCR)
- How parachute payments are distorting competitive balance in the division.
Sport, Structured host James Cooper commented: “This is a powerhouse edition of the Sport, Structured podcast, showcasing everything Leonard Curtis is aiming to do differently in the space.
“If you’re looking for informed analysis and discussion about the best second-tier football league in the world, you’ve come to the right place.
“Matt, Rob and Alex cover so much ground, and it was fascinating to be in the same room for such an engaging, data-led and progressive conversation.”
Alex Cadwallader, a former England U21 rugby player and now a director at Leonard Curtis, said: “Most leagues and different sports all over the world dream about having a competition that produces what the Championship does one and off the pitch.
“However, as sport, with football leading the charge in Europe, becomes more of a business there is a danger that the clubs in this division are viewed more and more as an undervalued asset with fantastic capital returns available if, and it is a big if, they can get to the cherished land of the Premier League.
“Players will often tell you that it takes time for them to realise they are an asset to be traded or even a liability at times. Do fans need to accept viewing their clubs as assets as well now?”
Challenges for Independent Football Regulator
Also under the microscope during this episode of Sport, Structured are some of the key issues topping the in tray of the new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the challenges it will face in the Championship and across the wider game.
Cadwallader commented: “Independent regulation is a positive step to attempt to protect what the Championship has always been. However, it will not solve everything.
“At Leonard Curtis we have seen the challenges and benefit that regulation brings in certain sectors. Being really clear on what the stakeholders want from regulation will be key, as will being realistic.”
Prof Rob Wilson, co-author of the Leonard Curtis Football Finance Report, a professor of applied sport finance, and provost at University Campus of Football Business (UCFB), shared key insights from the report during the podcast discussion.
“The Championship remains one of the most exciting and unpredictable leagues in world football, but that magic is under increasing financial strain,” he said.
“Clubs are spending heavily to chase the enormous prize of Premier League promotion, while parachute payments continue to create significant financial disparities within the division.
“The challenge now is to preserve the ambition and competitive intensity that make the Championship so compelling, without allowing financial risk and structural inequality to undermine its long-term sustainability.
“Squad Cost Rules and the new Independent Football Regulator can be part of the solution, but regulation needs to address the incentives that drive club behaviour, rather than just the symptoms.”
Understanding the complexities of sporting structures
The sixth Sport, Structured podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
The series is produced in collaboration with a team of broadcast technicians and media students at UCFB in Manchester and Wembley, directed, filmed and edited at their world-class studio facilities.
Fans interested in what goes on off the pitch in this informative podcast series can tune into the first six episodes including the latest one here.
Developed for business leaders across the sports and finance industries, as well as fans, journalists and other stakeholders involved in sport, the podcast series explores why so many clubs and leagues continue to experience financial fragility, blending expert insight with real-world stories and actionable takeaways.
Each episode aims to help listeners understand the complexities of sporting structures and what makes a sustainable model.
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