10. Schalke 04Deloitte Football Money League 2012 |
| 2011 revenue | 2010 revenue | 2010 position |
|---|---|---|
| €202.4m (£182.8m) | €139.8m (£114.5m) | 16 |
Schalke is the biggest climber in this year’s Money League, with total revenues increasing by €62.6m (45%) to €202.4m (£182.8m). This was due to a Champions League campaign that saw the club reach the semi-finals of the competition, beating holders Internazionale along the way. A disappointing 14th place finish in the Bundesliga was in some part offset by the Royal Blues’ success in lifting the German Cup, which will provide UEFA Europa League football in 2011/12.
The club’s most successful European performance in their history saw them receive €39.8m (£35.9m) in UEFA distributions, helping broadcast revenues more than double, from €35.4m to €74.3m (£67.1m). Failure to secure Champions League qualification for 2011/12 will mean that this spike in broadcast revenue, which contributed 37% of the club’s total, will not be repeated and Schalke will drop back out of the top ten in next year’s Money League.
The main proportion of Schalke’s revenue came from commercial sources (45%), which increased by €11.9m (15%) to €90.9m (£82.1m). This level of commercial revenue, the fifth highest in the Money League, is underpinned by a long-term partnership with sports rights agency Infront Germany. This relationship with Schalke includes the marketing of the stadium for sports and entertainment events, as well as perimeter advertising sales, as part of a long term plan to maximise revenues from the use of the Veltins Arena. The multi-purpose venue has been used to host boxing, biathlon events, ice hockey and concerts.
Matchday revenue grew by €11.8m (46%) to €37.2m (£33.6m). The club once again sold out the 61,673 capacity Veltins Arena for most matches and the run in the Champions League provided an additional six home matches. Average revenue of €1.6m (£1.4m) per match, is still only around half the €3.1m (£2.8m) of Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.
Looking to the future, Schalke have recently extended their partnership with Gazprom for a further five years, reportedly worth c.€75m (£67.7m), through to the 2017/18 season. Coupled with the long-term kit sponsorship deal with Adidas, as well as commercial partners including Volkswagen and Ergo, this should see a sustained level of commercial revenue in future years.
The club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League football in 2011/12 means that the club will not be able to maintain their lofty position in the Money League. However, Schalke have made a promising start to the 2011/12 Bundesliga season, and have progressed to the knock-out stage of the Europa League.
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The Deloitte Football Money League 2012 top 20 clubs |
