By David Gold
August 30 – German Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund has announced record revenues of €215 million (£171 million/$270 million) for the 2011-12 season.
This equates to a 42.1 per cent rise in revenues, helped in large part by participation in the UEFA Champions League, despite exiting that competition before the knock-out phase.
Dortmund (pictured top) made a €39 million (£31 million/$49 million) profit before tax, according to the figures.
Having claimed back to back German league titles and prevented Bayern Munich from winning the league for two seasons in a row for the first time in 15 years, the boardroom success of Dortmund stands in stark contrast to many of its continental rivals.
While leading clubs in England, Spain and Italy have amassed significant debts, Dortmund has recovered remarkably from its near-bankruptcy of almost a decade ago.
In 2005 and 2006 Dortmund posted huge losses and although it returned to profit in the following two years the club slipped back into losses again before returning a record profit in 2011.
On the Deloitte Money League for 2012 Dortmund would have finished eighth with its present revenues, above Italian giants Internazionale and Juventus as well as English heavyweights Liverpool.
Not only is Dortmund performing well commercially but its excellent displays on the pitch are down to a crop of talented youngsters, such as Mario Goetze, Marco Reus (pictured above), Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels.
The German champions’ record revenues were also due to an increase in sponsorship and merchandise income, which can expect to grow further with the club competing in the Champions League for a second successive season.
The sales of Shinji Kagawa and Lucas Barrios also brought in €26 million (£15 million/$25 million), although the club has invested in players, too, signing Reus, one of the best players in the Bundesliga last season with Borussia Moenchengladbach.
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