4nn2019 ‘Who's got the biggest league in Europe? THE CONVERSATION ‘Subscribe Centre circle Tacking he business and management of soorWho’s qot the biagest 8) league in Europe? August 21, 2014 11.61pm AEST Author Simon Chadwick Professor of Spat Business Sate, hu Bidding goodbye to Serie A ‘The domestic football season has already started in both France and England, with Germany, Italy and Spain’s leagues following hot on their heels. As each league kicks off, the competition over which is the biggest does too. Some commentators are claiming European football is now dominated by a “big three” of England, Germany and Spain instead of the traditional “big five” that also includes France and Italy. Others go further, saying it's simply England vs Spain now. /ntps:theconversation.com/winos-gotthe-biggest-league-in-europe-80603, 484nn2019 ‘Who's got the biggest league in Europe? So, which country has the biggest league in Europe? Taking into account how well they've done on the pitch, as well as the strength of their supporters and the money they turn over, there's no obvious winner. ‘Trophies In playing terms, the UEFA Champions League, European football’s highest honour, has been overwhelmingly claimed by Spanish teams in recent years. Spanish teams have won it four times and English three in the last ten. ‘Meanwhile, the Premier League has contributed 40% of the finalists during this time, 25% of the teams have been Spanish, 20% have been German, and 15% have been Italian. Champions League winners and finalists in the last decade mWinners mF 8 Spain England Germany France Italy In the Europa League, Europe's second trophy, Spain has again dominated by providing five of the last ten winners. Otherwise, apart from England, with one winner, none of the supposed “big five” has made any impact on the competition. Plus, while Spain has contributed 35% and England 15% of the finalists, only one German team has made the final (and none from either France or Italy has done 50), Itis therefore no great surprise that in UEFA’s European top 20 club rankings, Spanish teams hold the top two positions: Real Madrid and Barcelona with 143.328 and 131.328 points respectively. In total, there are four Spanish teams in the top 20 with Atletico Madrid (7th place) and Valencia (8th place) being the others. Bayern Munich come in third (128.083 points) and Chelsea of the Premier League appear in fourth place (122.721). ‘The highest French club to appear is PSG in 13th place (81.650), while the only Italian club in the table is AC Milan in 14th place (79.602). /ntps:theconversation.com/winos-gotthe-biggest-league-in-europe-80603, 2154nn2019 ‘Who's got the biggest league in Europe? UEFA club rankings (cumulative points) ein a 70.512 nla a 457.735 ee —_—r France (NE 151.3 ltaly [EE 79.602 According to the UEFA figures 25% of Europe's best teams are English, 20% are Spanish, 15% are German, 10% are French and only 5% are Italian. In terms of cumulative points scores too, Spanish clubs still top the table with 470.312 points, followed by England with 457.735, Germany 307.249, France 151.3 and Italy 79.602. Crowds ‘While Spain would appear to come out ahead in playing terms, itis in the grandstands of Burope that clubs from other countries start to make their mark. Throughout 2013, the Bundesliga averaged an attendance of 42,624 fans per game; the Premier League averaged 37,659; La Liga 28,249; Serie A 23,900; and Ligue 119,240. Average attendance in 2013 i) TT 23, 2:0 role 7559 6) a 22 2+ France I 19,240 (2) TT 23 300 During the same period, Germany's Borussia Dortmund topped the list of highest home attendances, averaging 80,520 per home game. ‘They were joined by seven other German teams in the top 20 list of highest average home attendances, giving the Bundesliga a 40% share of the list. The Premier League's Manchester United averaged 75,530 fans, taking second place in the attendance league. Overall, 25% of the clubs in the top 20 for attendance figures were English. Predictably, Barcelona and Real Madrid drew large average home crowds of 71,120 and 69,988 respectively, although they were the only two Spanish clubs in the top 20. Italy’s only club on the list was Inter Milan, with an average attendance figure of 46,551. No French clubs made the lst. Money /ntps:theconversation.com/winos-gotthe-biggest-league-in-europe-80603, 35