Bundesliga breaches €3bn revenue mark

MUNICH: Professional soccer in Germany continued on its successful course in the 2015/16 season. For the first time, the 18 clubs making up the Bundesliga posted a total of more than €3 billion in revenue.

At €3.24 billion, total revenue was up 23.7% compared with the previous financial year (€2.62 billion), marking the 12th revenue record in succession. Of the 18 Bundesliga clubs, 13 posted revenue in excess of €100 million in 2015/16. 

Christian Seifert, chief executive officer of the Bundesliga, announced these figures Thursday during his presentation of the Bundesliga Report 2017 in Frankfurt/Main.

Germany’s second division (Bundesliga 2), which had generated total revenue of over €500 million for the first time in the prior year (€504.6 million), posted revenue of €608.3 million in the 2015/16 season, up 20.6%. Together, the 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 generated a record €3.85 billion in revenue (up 23.2%).

At €206.2 million, the 18 Bundesliga clubs generated four times more profit after tax than in the prior year – an amount that exceeds the aggregate profits of the Bundesliga over the previous four years. It is far and away the best result in the history of the league. Sixteen of the 18 Bundesliga clubs earned a profit. On the basis of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), all 18 clubs were in the black in 2015/16. If both leagues are viewed together, 34 of the 36 clubs were profitable, as was the case in the prior year.

Despite higher expenses for players, coaches and support staff, the Bundesliga personnel cost ratio – i.e., personnel expenses in relation to total revenue – declined to 32.6%.

The positive business trend was also noticeable in the taxes and charges paid, which for the first time totaled more than €1 billion.The clubs paid an aggregate amount of €1.13 billion in taxes, social security and accident insurance contributions.The number of people directly employed or commissioned by the 36 professional clubs and their subsidiaries rose once again, from 50,237 to 53,114.