With the start of 2018, the German Football Federation published its report for the 2016-17 season. It can be seen as a top-line summary of the financial performance of Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, but for those with an interest in the industry, the numbers reveal interesting trends and reflect the direction that Bundesliga is going to for the foreseeable future. Have a look below and see the 9 facts that helped me to create a projection of DFL’s intentions.
1. The German licensed football registered a record revenue for the 13th consecutive year, breaking through the €4 billion barrier for the first time.
And it’s still expected to grow… with additional revenue from marketing of national media rights already confirmed at the beginning of the current season.
2. Match revenue, which consists primarily of ticket sales, decreased by 4.5 percent year-on-year.
Merchandising revenue decreased too, by 5 percent. However, this was mainly attributable to the composition of the Bundesliga.
3. The biggest contribution in the revenue mix for Bundesliga was brought by media receipts (28.5% – €6m).
4. People power is starting to catch up with bricks and mortar.
In terms of their balance sheet, licensed players of the Bundesliga clubs are worth almost as much as their stadiums, training centres and other infrastructure.
5. Licensed football… more jobs than ever.
54,275 people were employed either directly or indirectly in the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 in the 2016-17 season. 5,284 of these were full-time staff.
6. Still pioneers in sport tech.
2017 was the year of piloting the video assistant referee. DFL also appointed Sportec Solutions’ to collect, store and supply official DFL match data and organised the First International Match Analysis Conference of the DFB Academy attended by 220 guests from around the world.
7. Young, talented and determined to succeed is the profile.
The extensive development of talented young players remains a key factor in the success of German football. Clubs invested €41m in academies – more than ever before.
8. Bundesliga starts to see the wider benefits of elite football.
Bundesliga Foundation supported 82 projects, most of them in the areas of growing up healthy and active, integration and participation, and elite sport.
9. Match revenue is a key income source in Bundesliga 2.
The most proeminent revenue sources in the Bundesliga 2 are Media Receipts (25.29%), Advertising (21.37%) and Match Revenue (19.73%).
Andrei Angelescu 