FC Bayern München AG has set a new financial record for the 2016/17 season, with revenue reaching a new high of €640.458 million. The profit margin has also progressed in a hugely positive manner as pre-tax profits have increased by 22.2 per cent to €66.2 million. Post-tax profits were €39.19 million, which is an increase of 18.6 per cent on the previous year.
Jan-Christian Dreesen, Chief Financial Officer of FC Bayern München AG, explained, “Our failure to progress beyond the quarter-final of the Champions League against Real Madrid and not reaching the DFB Cup final cost us around €25 million. However, we were still able to make gains and remain one of the top clubs in Europe financially. What is more important than the increase in revenue is that our profit margin has increased. In this regard we saw doube-digit improvements in all important indicators. Revenue streams remain even, which leaves us confident going forward independent of any dependencies.”
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Chairman of FC Bayern München AG, sees the strong financial results once again as “a good example for legitimate and solid financial policies.” Rummenigge (62) has led FC Bayern München AG since its founding 15 years ago. “Our initial revenue of €162.7 million has now quadrupled and membership numbers have trebled to 290,000,” he said. “Our decision, despite concerns from some, to make the football department a public limited company in 2002 was not just an important step in the construction of the stadium but also spot-on and pioneering.”
Despite a rapid development in the football financial market with transfer fees now in the hundreds of millions, the Chairman reaffirmed the sporting aspirations of FC Bayern: “We want to be German champions, and we also want to compete for the Champions League title.” For the 2017/18 season, FC Bayern “spent €100 million on new players, which is a lot of money from our perspective. We have a clear strategy and philosophy, which we continue to implement.”
Rummenigge reiterated that FC Bayern München’s new youth development centre will “bring through young talent, but we also have to continue finding and signing the right players in the transfer market.”
Topics of this article