German Bundesliga sees double-digit growth in 2013/14

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Bundesliga posted record turnover of 2.45 billion euros ($2.83 billion)for 2013/14, up by more than 12 percent, marking uninterrupted growth for the 10th straight season, the German football league (DFL) said on Thursday.





Turnover was up from 2.17 billion euros in 2012/13 and has more than doubled from a decade ago when it stood at just over one billion.

"German professional football has used its solid financial foundation well in the past years to make an outstanding sporting development," DFL CEO Christian Seifert said.

"The outlook is positive because financial growth is uninterrupted."

Despite the boom, triggered by new or improved stadiums, largely debt-free clubs, low ticket prices and a growing international interest, the Bundesliga still trails Spain's La Liga and the English Premier League in financial terms.

Media revenues were sharply up by almost 100 million euros to 716 million in 2013/14 with international broadcast revenues climbing to 75 million.

These broadcast revenues are projected to more than double to 154 million by 2015/16 with new international deals in place, the DFL said.

Advertising revenues also jumped to 640 million, up from 578 million the previous season.

The average attendance figure per game rose slightly to 42,609, up from 41,917 to remain Europe's highest, but still short of their own mark of 44,000 fans per game from two years ago.

The Premier League, in second place, had an average attendance per game of 36,631 with La Liga in third with 26,843.

To secure continued growth, Bundesliga clubs have invested just under one billion euros in youth development since 2002 with 120 million euros invested in 2013/14, compared to 105 in the previous season.

Germany's second division also posted a record turnover of 458 million euros, an increase of almost 10 percent from 2012/13, the DFL said.





($1 = 0.8611 Euros)





(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Toby Davis)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world