The wonderful Sporting Intelligence Twitter feed has posted an infographic which shows the breakdown of official cash payments to the 20 Premier League clubs for the 2013/14 season. Interesting stuff. "Facility fees" are paid to each club every time their matches are shown on UK television, with each club being guaranteed a minimum of ten fees.
Southampton and Stoke City will feel that they were somewhat snubbed in terms of live matches. However, it has to be taken into account that the Saints' great season could hardly have been predicted before the first batch of televised games were announced, while Stoke's reputation for functional and direct football seems to have damned them to bottom of the live matches rankings despite their top-ten league finish.
It bears a striking resemblance to the actual final table, which is hardly shocking. The rewards in excess of £60 million that relegated teams receive may be striking, but they aren't totally surprising. It can be argued that the relative equality in payments in comparison to other major leagues serves to keep the Premier League more competitive and unpredictable than say La Liga, or Serie A. This Guardian article from 2011 highlights the level of disparity elsewhere.
Official: Liverpool earn most from Premier League funds 2013-14 - £97,544,336. pic.twitter.com/RXaOQwf1gs
— sportingintelligence (@sportingintel) May 14, 2014
