Barca recorded a second half net profit of eight million Euros in the last six months of 2009, with income increasing 19.7% over the same period in 2008 to 222,8 million Euros.
The Club Vice-President Joan Boix announced the figures this Thursday, revealing that the club had
made an eight million Euros profit on increased income of 222.8 million Euros. Outgoings totalled
211 million before finance costs of 3.8 million were taken into account.
Income increase across the board
Income increased across all areas of the club’s business, with
more money coming from UEFA and new deals with Catalan TV Station TV3 Etisalat and Turkish
Airlines, which combined with income from the Tour of USA and the friendly game held in Kuwait to
boost income by nearly a fifth.
Ticket sale income also increased, as did monies from the tours of the ground and other uses
of the club’s facilities and Sr Boix explained: “all business areas have seen an
increase, with only slight variations and that means the club is thriving on not just one single
area”.
36 million more in income
The 222,8 million Euros of income compares with 186 million in the final
six months of 2008 and Joan Oliver stressed the importance of the club’s sporting success to
the improved figures: “we are in a context where the majority of companies in the world have
seen their income stagnate or go down, where the majority of football clubs have also seen their
income stagnate or go down. Meanwhile, we are presenting figures that show we have increased income
by 20%. That increase would not have been possible without the great sporting success we enjoyed
last season”.
Spending increases
Spending also increased from 166 to 211 million Euros- a 27.1% rise-
primarily due to new signings, improved contracts and bonuses as a result of successes in the two
Super Cups and the World Club Cup. Sr Boix explained: “the success on the field has a short
term economic cost, but over the next few years we will see the advantages of the sporting
achievements we enjoyed last season”.
Money on the players
The Vice President insisted: “general costs have dropped and it
is the sporting costs that have increased, but we are clear that this is where we have to invest.
The players have accepted five important variables – games played, classification for the
Champions League and winning the League, Cup and Champions. That means of course that if we win
everything then the bonuses the players get is important”.
Images: Àlex Caparrós y archivo FCB.
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Consolidation of a model
The figures demonstrate that FC Barcelona is year after year consolidating its self-financing and
sustainable model, which has seen them chalk up profits of 122 million Euros since 2003/04:
“this model of growth is independent of our sporting success or the general economic climate
and this gives us our security”, concluded Sr Boix.