Imagine a club paying its stadium debt 16 years prior to its due period of 25 years
In 2014, Bayern Munich announced record profits and used that money to pay off the Allianz Stadium. Their commendable efficiency and transparent work culture had again brought home its fruits of success.
Real Madrid regained its most valuable club status in Europe according to the new evaluations from KPMG. But a more important news was a bit below on that list with the Bavarian giants surpassing Barcelona to stand third in Europe.
The Third largest enterprise
KPMG bases its assessment on factors such as profitability, player values, athletic potential, stadium utilization and the number of social media followers.
In Germany, Bayern Munchen have the highest commercial revenue of any club in the world. The Bundesliga is expected to sign a new broadcasting deal that may surpass the current La Liga deal.
Apart from this they have done notable work in terms of reaching out to the fans around the world and Bayern is sheer brilliance when it comes to financial management.
Check out the full list from KPMG below –
It’s not only about the money
Rather than plunging into the transfer fee arms race, which has escalated to an unprecedented level after the investment of Gulf money, Bayern has stuck to its ever successful and sustaining model.
Bayern’s model allows just 25 percent of shares to be owned by commercial giants of Adidas, Audi and Allianz. It helps them pay for and finance the impressive, forever filled 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena.
Bayern are a proud club that has made a profit every single season for the last 27 years without debt. And now they are the third biggest club in the world by revenue.
Sir Alex said it on Sunday
Alex Ferguson praised the footballing structure at Bayern Munich as the Bavarians continue to dominate the Bundesliga with seven consecutive titles.
“They’re a great club. It’s a club run in the proper foundation of it,” Ferguson told MUTV prior to Sunday’s Treble Reunion game.
Are Bayern Munich an exemplar of a perfectly run club?
Bayern are indeed a class operation when it comes to management. It’s been the Bayern way to claim every trophy with every playing position occupied by its homegrown academy players and keep every fan happy and every seat filled at every match, meanwhile maintaining excellent financial health.
Last year the club president Uli Hoeness while talking about football’s ownership models said:
“We’re playing against states, not other teams. In the future, if teams don’t exist because the states have pulled their money, FC Bayern will still be here.”
Such is the monumental foundation of the high standing German champions.
High quality and spellbinding brand of football, full of home grown players and a clamorous crowd is what the Bayern DNA is all about.
A Club for the fans
Bayern Munich have retired the number 12 shirt as they consider their fans the 12th man. It follows the “50+1” rule, under which fans maintain majority ownership of the club. It’s an honorable, socially democratic system against the rampant global capitalism of the beautiful game.
Bayern has derived 89m of revenues on match days, the lowest total among the richest four. This seems to make little sense, considering Bayern plays in the Allianz Arena, a 70,000-plus-seat, top-class venue.
One reason for the lower total is ticket prices. Bayern charges a very modest fee for a season ticket in the standing-section.
“We do not think the fans are like cows, who you milk,” said Bayern president Uli Hoeness. “Football has got to be for everybody.”
You could do nothing but love this club, at least when it comes to values.