October 31 – FC Schalke 04, a seven-time Bundesliga winner, has lurched from one crisis to the next over the last five years as financial issues have debilitated one of Germany’s most storied clubs. With the financial results for the period January 1 to June 30 recently announced, the picture remains murky.
Despite having 178,000 members, making it Germany’s second-largest club and the world’s fourth-largest in terms of membership, the Ruhr club’s dominant focus has been cost-cutting and underperformance on the pitch.
Schalke’s income in the first half of the year was €74.3 million, compared to €168.3 million for the entire previous year. This loss in revenue is due to the clubs’ ongoing absence from German football’s first division following a shock relegation in 2021, which culminated in rioting by long-suffering fans.
Schalke’s CFO, Christina Rühl-Hamers, will highlight a reduction in total liabilities from €168.1 million to €162.7 million, as well as a decrease in net financial debt from €128.5 million to €114.7 million. However, the equity gap expanded from €103.3 million to €104 million, which Rühl-Hamers identified as an ongoing focus. “Improving equity remains vital to us. Based on our existing plans, we expect to reach equity improvement targets by the calendar year 2024.
Relegation, the Covid-19 epidemic, and the loss of its major sponsor, Russian energy corporation Gazprom, resulted in a workforce reduction and savings of about €10 million.
“Streamlining our operations has allowed us to become more effective and adaptable, ensuring we’re equipped to handle future demands,” Rühl-Hamers told the crowd.
Last year, club members opted to change the financial year from January to December to July to June in order to provide more transparency and, during the giving season, a clearer picture of seasonal performance.
Despite being in the second tier, Schalke continues to sell out the atmospheric VELTINS-Arena, with an average attendance of 61,300 spectators per match, ranking it 14th best-supported team in Europe.
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