Premier League clubs face doubled regulator levy as costs soar

Premier League clubs have been told that the cost of funding Regulator has doubled, with the annual running bill now set at £20m. A new levy will see the highest‑earning clubs contributing up to £1.8m a season while most top‑flight sides will pay around £600,000.

Regulator costs double to new estimate

The regulator disclosed that its operating expenses have risen to £20m, twice the figure originally projected by the Government. However, another report puts the annual cost at £35m, highlighting a significant discrepancy between the two assessments. The increase also includes a £1m provision for potential litigation and a further £1m allocated to cover set‑up costs.

Levy structure across the leagues

Under the proposed levy, clubs in the top five divisions will fund the regulator’s £18.3m operating budget for 100 staff. The highest‑earning Premier League clubs, those competing in European tournaments or generating more than £150m in commercial income, could be charged up to £1.8m a season, while the majority will pay £600,000. Championship clubs without parachute payments are set to contribute around £45,000, League One clubs £9,000 and League Two clubs £6,000, with National League sides facing a fee of less than £600.

IFR chief executive Richard Monks said, “The levy we are proposing today represents a fair and balanced approach and will ensure that most clubs pay around 0.1 per cent of their annual revenues.” He added that the regulator has already begun delivering change through stringent suitability checks on owners and directors.

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Total set‑up costs for the regulator have run to £45m, with the bulk to be recovered over the next ten years via the levy. The £45m figure reflects the investment required to establish the world’s first regulator.

Estimates of the Premier League’s commercial income also vary, with one source citing £150m and another reporting £200m, a gap that influences the size of the levy for the league’s biggest clubs. The regulator had previously estimated operating costs between £8m and £10.2m for the first decade.

The regulator’s State of the Game report, released a week earlier, found that 94 per cent of clubs are loss‑making and more than 60 per cent of EFL and National League clubs are technically insolvent. Since its launch last year, the IFR has carried out suitability checks on 40 owners, directors and senior executives and has mediated negotiations between the Premier League and the EFL over a new financial settlement.

Sport commentator John Cross, chief of the football coverage team, noted that the levy represents “one of the most significant financial commitments for clubs this decade.” His analysis underscores the regulator’s ambition to create a more sustainable ecosystem for English football.