Have the 18 Bundesliga clubs set a new revenue record in the past 2022-23 season? There are many indications that the four-billion-euro barrier has been broken
What the German top flight has only achieved once before, in the 2018/19 season, when the Bundesliga reported €4.02 billion in its economic report. This was followed by seasons marked by the coronavirus pandemic and a decline to €3.8 billion (2019/20) and €3.47 billion (2020/21). The slight recovery in 2021/22, when €3.61 billion was recorded, is now likely to be followed by strong growth
Will the 4 billion euro mark be cracked again?
Given the publications of 15 of the 18 clubs around the annual general meetings and members’ meetings in recent months and based on estimates relating to RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg, the league could even report €4.3 billion. These estimates are necessary because RB does not make its figures available to the wider public before publication in the Federal Gazette and the figures of the two works clubs are included in the respective consolidated balance sheets of Bayer and Volkswagen AG.
According to research, RB will generate a turnover of around 450 million euros in 2023 as a whole. So far, however, the Saxons have reported seasonal figures, with turnover of €349 million in 2021/22. In this respect, the “golden mean” of around €400 million for the 2022/23 season could come close to reality – but ultimately this also depends on the season in which the multi-million euro sales of Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool FC) and Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea FC) are booked. Bayer’s revenue is estimated to be similar to 2021/22 (€271.3 million), while VfL’s revenue is expected to fall slightly to around €230 million after €251.3 million in the previous year.
Bayern and BVB drive growth
The main drivers of growth are the industry giants FC Bayern (854.2 million) and Borussia Dortmund (515.4 million; all figures including transfers), which both set records, but also the fact that two clubs with strong sales were promoted with the then Bundesliga returnees Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen, while Greuther Fürth and Arminia Bielefeld, two clubs with comparatively low sales, were relegated to the lower division. The figures that the clubs submit to the DFL as part of the licensing process and which are ultimately reported in the economic report differ slightly from the totals published by the MAs due to the methodology used, meaning that it is not possible to make a completely concrete forecast.
