May 31st, 2024, Christien Pheby
Premier League clubs recently voted in favour of squad spending caps. The proposals have included limiting expenditure on transfer fees, wages, and agent fees to a multiple of TV revenues generated by the bottom-ranked club in the top tier of English football.
New YouGov polling reveals that fans mostly support these measures. Some 64% would see a squad spending cap introduced, with just 11% opposed to the idea.
Fans of clubs comprising the “Big Six” Premier League teams – Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur – are more likely to support the measure, with 67% in favour and 10% against it. Fans of other clubs in the Premier League are less keen on spending caps, but with 58% in support and 12% opposed, a majority still endorse them. It might be that clubs who aren’t regularly in contention for European places are more likely to oppose measures that limit spending your way to the top; it could also be that clubs in the Big Six are more likely to support anything that entrenches their financial advantage.
Whatever the reasoning, most fans are in favour of spending caps.
Methodology
YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on 9-10 May 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 2179 adults (572 of whom said they were fans of a Premier League club) (aged 18+ years) in Great Britain, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, education, and social grade to be representative of all adults in Great Britain (18 years or older), and reflect the latest ONS population estimates. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.