Back of the debt: How does the UK consumer debt match up to that of Premier League teams?

Independent financial comparison service Know Your Money have come up with a nifty little tool to compare consumer debt in your local area to borrowing of Premier League sides.

Entitled “Back of the Debt”, you can fill in your postcode, pick your favoured Premier League team and you will be shown:

• How much debt there is in your general postcode area
• How this debt measures up against nearby postcodes and the Premier League teams
• Debt per capita where you live, nationally and where your team is based
• A series of weird and wonderful stats about the spending power of the club you support

Of course, football is an industry has always been synonymous with money, and debt. Whether it’s the transfer fees splashed out on summer signings, the massive broadcasting contracts, sponsorship deals or the astronomical wages, so much of the coverage of football centres on finance.

At the same time, the mortgages and consumer borrowing has reached record levels. The question those who set up the Back of the Debt page want to provide the answer to is if this activity is at a level which could give the giants of the Premier League a run for their money?

As the organisers point out some of the answers are surprising, with some clubs deeply in the red and others doing surprisingly well.

Manchester United have a higher debt than all the residents of the SW postcode combined!

For example, residents of Burnley’s BB region have a total of £265m in personal debt, whilst their local football club has a debt of…£0!

Liverpool’s L postcode has double the amount of debt than their retrospective football club does! 475m compared to 182m.

Manchester United top the table for club debt with a sum of £503m, however the residents of the M postcode have out borrowed the club with a total personal debt sum of £599m

John Ellmore, director of independent financial comparison site Know Your Money commented on the tool saying it: “Helps you to explore the finances of your team and your local area. The tool gives some great insight into where you live and the club you support and put some of the eye-popping financial figures surrounding the Premier League into context.”

You can take a look at the “Back of the Debt” tool by clicking here – https://www.knowyourmoney.co.uk/loans/back-of-the-debt

Back of the debt: How does the UK consumer debt match up to that of Premier League teams?