After the unprecedented mid-season interruption of the FIFA World Cup, European club football has reclaimed centre stage.
Top-flight sides have been dealing with a unique challenge on and off the pitch. Many leagues are well used to scheduled winter breaks but not of this length or this nature.
The first priority has been to recapture attention and encourage fans to resume pre-tournament habits. In many cases, these were still being re-established in the first fully post-pandemic season across the continent.
But there is a huge opportunity ahead, not least when it comes to ticket sales. Elite teams have reached January in the 2022/23 season with more than half of their games to play in a condensed period.
For many clubs, that inventory represents real growth potential. Studies before the Covid-19 shutdown found that 25% of stadium capacity was going unsold across the top seven European leagues – equivalent to £850 million per season in unrealised revenues, even before secondary income sources like merchandising and concessions are taken into account.
As they get back on that path to growth, there are a few key factors clubs will be keeping in mind.
