Manchester United become first British club to pass the £500m revenue mark

Manchester United saw their total revenues leap by 30.4% in the 2015/16 year, according to new data.

The club pulled in £515.3m during the 12 months to June 30, a year-on-year increase of £120.1m, which makes them the first in the history of English football to earn more than £500m in a single year.

Of that figure, £160.1m came from sponsorship deals, which is £5.2m more than the year previous.

Takings from retail, merchandising, apparel and product licensing, meanwhile, accounted for £97.3m of the total, with the club’s agreement with sportswear giant Adidas – kicking in from August 2015 – providing a big portion of the 207.9% year-on-year growth.

Elsewhere, MUFC’s mobile and content revenue stood at £10.9m, up £500k over the 2014/2015 year.

Profits for the period showed a similar upward trend, with United’s operating profit rising from £31.6m in 2014/15 to £68.9m in June.

However, the club’s expenses also heavily increased, rising 12.8% during the 12-month period to £436.6m.

United’s executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward, commented: “Our record fiscal 2016 financial performance reflects the continued underlying strength of the business and the club is on target to achieve record revenues in 2017, even without a contribution from the Champions League.

“This strong financial performance has enabled us to invest in our squad, team management and facilities to position us to challenge for, and win, trophies in the coming years.”

The release of United’s latest financial results follows news of their expanded deal with Indian firm Apollo.

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