Juventus in the Deloitte Football Money League

Reporting flat revenues in 2009/10, Juventus drop two places to tenth position in the Money League. Despite a second consecutive season in the UEFA Champions League, after a two year absence, the club lost its place as the highest revenue generating Italian club falling behind both Milan based clubs.

In spite of playing two fewer home games (25) at the Stadio Olimpico in 2009/10, matchday revenues nudged upward to €16.9m (£13.8m). Average league attendances were up 4%, rising to 23,186 following Juve’s second place league finishing position in the previous season. Ticket price increases contributed to the improvement in matchday revenue per match to €0.7m, but Juventus’ matchday revenues remain the weakest element of their business and they still only account for only 8% of total revenue.

However, by 2011/12 Juve expect to be playing in their new 40,000 capacity stadium, which will assist them to increase matchday revenues considerably. The new stadium will also provide enhanced opportunities to boost non matchday revenues from events.

Commercial revenue increased marginally by €1.3m (2%) to €55.6m (£45.5m) in 2009/10. Following the expiry of its shirt front sponsorship deal with New Holland Group, Juventus decided on a dual shirt front sponsorship strategy. Sports betting company BetClicwill sponsor the home jersey with Italian confectioner Balocco sponsoring the second jersey. The BetClic deal is reportedly worth at least €15m (£12.3m) in total over the two seasons to 2011/12, whilst the kit deal with Nike extends to 2015/16, delivering at least €12.4m (£10.2m) per season. Juve has partially funded the new stadium’s €105m (£86m) construction cost through the sale of adjacent commercial land and through a commercial partnership with Sportfive, covering the exploitation of stadium naming rights and corporate facilities at the new facility, worth a minimum of €75m (£61.4m) over a 12 year period.

Juve benefitted from €22.2m (£18.2m) of UEFA central distributions, finishing third in the Group stage of the
UEFA Champions League, before being parachuted into the Europa League. At €132.5m (£108.5m) their total broadcasting income remained almost unchanged from the previous season. 2009/10 was also the final year of the club’s €100m+ per annum broadcasting contract with Mediaset before Serie A returns to a collective basis of selling broadcast rights in 2010/11.

Finishing seventh in Serie A brought the disappointment of no Champions League football in 2010/11. This is compounded by the negative revenue impact collective rights selling is anticipated to bring Juventus, at least in the short term. We therefore expect Juve to be out of the top ten in next year’s Money League. The club will need on-pitch success including qualification for the Champions League to regain a top ten place.

View the full Deloitte Football Money League ranking.

Source: Deloitte Sports Business Group