Few behind-the-scenes figures are as synonymous with their clubs as Daniel Levy is with Tottenham, and the fame comes with extra scrutiny.
Levy has been in situ at Spurs for more than two decades and, despite helping raise Spurs from Premier League also-rans to ‘Big Six’ mainstays, remains a divisive figure in North London.
Many supporters feel that the increasing commercialisation of the club has come at the expense of bedrock fans.
Tottenham’s annual commercial income was £228m at the last count, while overall revenue has almost doubled since the move to the new stadium in 2019.
Matchday income has been a huge part of that increase and Spurs are now among just three Premier League clubs who can expect to earn £100m-plus through the turnstiles every season.
Their matchday income figure is set to rise again next season, but not without provoking the wrath of fans for whom tickets are becoming more and more unaffordable.
FSA namecheck Daniel Levy amid Tottenham cash grab
This summer, Spurs have announced both a six per cent increase in season ticket prices plus a gradual phasing out of concessions tickets.
That latter policy in particular has provoked outrage, with no new concessions season tickets being issued from 2025-26.
In a statement on rising ticket prices across English football, the influential Football Supporters Association highlighted that Levy had raised prices while simultaneously paying himself a £3m bonus.
The FSA also pointed out that matchday income pales in comparison to the £10bn Premier League TV deal and that clubs should stop using PSR as an excuse to price bedrock fans out.
Spurs’ matchday income in 2022-23, the last season for which financial data is available, stood at £118m.
Extrapolating based on a six per cent price rise, that figure will rise to £125m in 2024-25.
How much does matchday income really matter to Spurs?
One only needs to take a cursory glance at the accounts in the years since 2019 to see how transformative the new stadium has been for Spurs.
However, the extra six per cent in matchday income will not move the dial significantly in the context of total revenues which are expected to hit £600m in the next handful of seasons.
The price rise will also smart for Spurs fans given that the club have so far failed to agree a naming rights deal, which they initially hoped could bring in £25m every term.
That appraisal now looks hugely optimistic, but one study has found that a naming rights deal would still be worth £15m per season for Spurs – more than the value of any other English team’s rights.
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