April 9 – The DFL is reporting an increase in the total revenue of German professional football to €4.48 billion in the 2021-22 season, the first increase since the pandemic.
The 2023 DFL Economic Report attributes the increase to the return of fans to the 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. However, it points out the while the aggregated figure is a 10.5% increase on the 2021-22 season, it is still about €325 million less than €4.8 billion posted for the 2018-19 season, before the pandemic struck.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, Speaker of the DFL Executive Committee, said: “In the light of these figures, it is possible to talk about a slight economic recovery, but it is not time to give the all-clear just yet, because the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are still a long way off the pre-coronavirus level overall. The league and clubs are going to have to find ways of evolving and of maintaining the appeal of the competitions, as well as our international sporting and economic competitiveness whilst also protecting the unique characteristics of German football.”
For the 2018-19 season gate revenue was about €650 million, for the 2021-22 season it was €402 million.
German-language media rights income for the current cycle (2021-22 to 2024-25) is also reported as being slightly lower than in the previous four years – €1.1 billion on average instead of €1.16 billion per season previously. This is attributed to contracts being “concluded shortly after the beginning of the pandemic under challenging conditions”.
The DFL emphasises that German professional football remains a major taxpayer with its clubs paying €1.4 billion in taxes and duties last season (compared to €1.3 billion in the 2020-21 season).
The DFL also said that the return fans boosted the number of people directly and indirectly employed in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 – up from 26,183 to 48,372, an increase of 85%.
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