The German championship title, the DFB Cup triumph, the Champions League semi-finals: the German record champions are enjoying a glorious run of success out on the field of play, and the financial situation is no less impressive. FC Bayern have surpassed all previous figures for the 2015/16 fiscal year, announcing the best result in the club's history.
The turnover figure for FC Bayern München AG group (consolidated accounts for FC Bayern München AG, Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH and all other subsidiaries) surpasses the previous year's €523.7 million by more than €100 million to a new best-mark of €626.8 million, an increase of about 20 percent. The operating profit (Ebitda) increased by an even greater margin, rising 28 percent from €111.3 million to €142.5 million.
Record before and after-tax profit
“The 2015/16 fiscal year has been fantastic for FC Bayern, in terms of both sports and finances. Our members, staff and friends of the club can be very proud,” declared FC Bayern deputy chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen. Profit before tax rose to €53.9 million (2014/15: €31.4 million) and profit after tax stood at €33.0 million (2014/15: €23.8 million), “record profits” according to Dreesen and unprecedented in the 115-year history of the club. FC Bayern is thus in the black for the 24th year in a row.
“FC Bayern München is in outstanding shape, operating at the highest Champions League level in financial terms,” Dreesen stated. “Our FC Bayern is in a superb position. That’s been the case for the last few years, and that's more than ever true for 2016! Our entrepreneurial objective is the maximisation of sporting success alongside financial prudence. Our increasing financial power will be used primarily to make the regular investments required in our first-team squad in order to ensure we remain competitive among the elite teams in Europe,” Dreesen continued.
Company surpasses €500-million milestone
FC Bayern München AG, the joint stock company responsible for the club’s professional football operations, also achieved exceptional results. Turnover rose year-on-year from last year’s record €485.6 million to €587.7 million, surpassing the 500-million mark for the first time in the club's history. FC Bayern München AG’s equity capital also rose to €424.6 million (2014/15: €411.5 million).
The new best-ever figures were driven by income from sponsorship and marketing (€169.8 million versus last year's €113.9 million), merchandising (€108.2 million) and a transfer surplus (€34.8 million). Income from TV rights marketing was €83.4 million, a relatively low figure in international terms.
FC Bayern München AG’s expenditures included personnel costs of €260.3 million, the largest item. However, the costs have to be assessed in proportion to turnover: the personnel cost ratio stood at 47.1 percent, only a marginal increase compared to the previous year. It should not go unmentioned that the company remitted taxes totalling €194.0 million, a significant amount: FC Bayern has paid more than €1.2 billion in taxation over the last ten years alone.
Dividend for the stockholders
Apart from the German revenue service, FC Bayern München AG shareholders can also be pleased with what Dreesen called the “outstanding results” from the last fiscal year. “The AG has distributed a record dividend of €12.0 million (40 cents per share). Following a resolution passed at the annual stockholders’ meeting of the AG on 7 November 2016 this has resulted in a dividend payment to [members’ club] FC Bayern München eV amounting to €9.0 million.”
Dreesen thanked “my colleagues on the board, all our staff, the coaching staff and the team, our partners and everybody who has contributed to these record results” for the outstanding figures last year: “Let's keep it going!”
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