’We remain committed to supporting clubs and players by offering innovative insurance solutions and data-driven strategies to mitigate the rising costs and frequency of injuries,’ says head 

Howden has revealed that Premier League injuries during the 2023/24 season cost clubs hundreds of millions of pounds.

According to the broker’s Men’s European Football Injury Index, published on 14 October 2024, a total of 915 injuries were recorded during the season.

This cost €318.8m (£266.6m), which accounted for 44% of the total across the top five leagues in Europe.

Manchester United recorded the highest injury cost figure in England at €47.38m (£39.6m), with the club suffering 75 incidents.

The club is also among Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool to have experienced injury levels consistently above the league average over the last four seasons.

Conversely, Wolves and Crystal Palace were the only teams of those that competed in each of the previous four seasons to record below average injury levels on each occasion.

Top five leagues

Other leagues that were studied include the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and Spanish La Liga.

Across the top five men’s leagues, injuries occurred every 92 minutes of play in the 2023/24 season.

Players from the 96 clubs competed in 4,232 games and injuries averaged 0.97 per game, costing teams an average of €172,975 (£144,661) per game.

James Burrows, head of sport at Howden, said: “The 2023/24 Howden Men’s European Football Injury Index underscores the ever-increasing physical demands on players.

“As fixture congestion intensifies with expanded competitions domestically and internationally, we are seeing more players sidelined for longer periods, with a notable 5% rise in injury costs this season alone.

“Our data captures the demands of modern football and we hope it serves as a valuable tool for players, clubs and governing bodies in their ongoing discussions.

“At Howden, we remain committed to supporting clubs and players by offering innovative insurance solutions and data-driven strategies to mitigate the rising costs and frequency of injuries.”