Dortmund continues financial success story by breaking revenue landmark
28 Aug 2012
Borussia Dortmund has further illustrated its transformation from near economic collapse to its current healthy position by announcing that it generated record revenues of Eur215.2 million for the 2011-12 financial year.
The latest figures come off the back of another successful season in which Dortmund defended its 1.Bundesliga title and also won the DFB-Pokal by defeating Bayern Munchen 5-2. Along with reporting a 42.1% rise in revenues to a record high in the club’s 103-year history, Dortmund added that it turned a profit of Eur39.3 million before tax.
Although Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke admitted that half of the club’s profits came from player transfers, such as Shinji Kagawa’s move to Manchester United for Eur16 million and Lucas Barrios’ Eur10 million switch to Guangzhou Evergrande, the club made great strides in other revenue fields. Sponsorship and merchandising revenues increased respectively by Eur7.8 million and Eur22.0 million to Eur57.8 million. Media rights revenues showed a major increase from Eur32 million to Eur60 million aided by participation in the UEFA Champions League (Eur25.6 million) and the DFB-Pokal success (Eur6.9 million).
Dortmund endured highly-publicised problems in the wake of its 2002 1.Bundesliga title, when it was close to bankruptcy before recovering in 2005. Commenting on the club’s latest financial performance, Watzke said: “That’s a reputable result. We continue to grow and see additional growth potential.”
