Potential Dutch fix for Stoke City’s £100m problem as John Coates pushes for financial rule changes

Stoke City F.C. believe a major issue in English football is the huge financial gap between the Premier League and the EFL Championship. Clubs finishing bottom of the Premier League earn around £100 million per season, while those just below them in the Championship receive only about £10 million.
This imbalance has led many Championship clubs to suffer heavy financial losses as they try to compete for promotion. The situation is made worse by parachute payments, which give relegated teams a financial advantage and create a cycle where the same clubs are repeatedly promoted and relegated.
To address this, some clubs have suggested adopting a system similar to that used in the Netherlands. In that model, clubs competing in European tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League share a portion of their earnings with other clubs, including those in lower divisions.
Talks over a financial agreement between the Premier League and the EFL have stalled since 2024, mainly due to disagreements over how funds should be distributed. While a previous proposal to share £880 million over six years was seen as progress, it did not fully solve the issue.
Now, some Premier League clubs are proposing a levy on European competition income to help fund a fairer distribution system. However, this idea is still in its early stages, and debates continue over how the financial burden should be shared.
Stoke have long argued that reducing the financial gap is essential for the health of the game, warning that the current system encourages risky spending in the Championship and panic-driven decisions in the Premier League due to fear of relegation.