Surprising Insights into the Financial Contributions of Football Supporters in Romanian Clubs for the 2023 Season
As part of the licensing process for the 2024-2025 season, clubs (for the most part) have published their audited financial statements for the year 2023 on their official websites.
The Impact of Rapid, FCSB, and Universitatea Craiova Supporters on Club Budgets
I don’t intend to bore you with dry and complicated figures. However, I aim to extract an interesting piece of information for you – the direct contribution of SuperLiga supporters to the revenues of the clubs they support.
We have reviewed the clubs with results and tradition (and a significant fan base) in the top league. Therefore, we will refer to FCSB, Universitatea Craiova, CFR Cluj, Rapid, U Cluj, FCU Craiova, Sepsi, Farul, and Petrolul. Unfortunately, Dinamo and UTA have not published their financial situations on their websites (at least until the time of this analysis).
Important Note – financial statements refer to fiscal years (January – December), not competitive seasons. Therefore, a fiscal year consists of two halves of a season (e.g., the fiscal year 2023 includes the second half of the 2022-2023 season and the first half of the 2023-2024 season).
Regarding revenues, clubs report income from ticketing, commercial activities, sponsorships, UEFA income, TV rights, subsidies, and other types of revenue. While UEFA income and TV rights are directly related to sporting performance, sponsorships, subsidies, and other types of income have at most an indirect link to supporters.
Ticketing and Commercial Activities
In other words, ticket sales, season tickets, and promotional products (merchandising). These are the direct contributions of supporters to the clubs’ revenues. Money that goes directly from supporters’ pockets into the clubs’ budgets.
In 2023, clubs’ revenues varied unevenly: some increased, others decreased. The most significant increases were recorded at Rapid, Farul, and U Cluj, while the most abrupt decreases occurred at CFR and FCSB.
If Rapid excelled in all revenue categories, the Farul’s growth was due to a surprising jump in sponsorship revenues, while at U Cluj, subsidies played a significant role.
On the other hand, Table 2 shows the ranking of direct supporters’ contributions.
Why are they important?
Professional football without money… doesn’t exist. In their battle for revenues, clubs are increasingly attentive to supporters’ funds. How do supporters respond to the clubs’ needs?
Rapid Supporters – By Far the Best “Payers” in Romanian Football
The most significant direct contribution in Romanian football belongs to Rapid supporters – 35% of the club’s revenues in 2023 (18.7 million lei).
In other words, Rapid supporters spent close to 4 million euros in 2023 on tickets, season tickets, and club-branded products.
It is noteworthy that in the same year, 2023, the club’s shareholders carried out a share capital increase. The club’s capital increased by 24 million lei (reaching 51 million lei), with the shareholding structure becoming 70% Dan Şucu, 30% Victor Angelescu. This means that in 2023, Rapid supporters, through their direct contribution, brought to the club an amount similar to the one Dan Şucu used to finance the club (70% of the 24 million lei).
FCSB Supporters, Second Place without Revenues from Commercial Activities
In second place, we find FCSB supporters, with 10.5 million lei (24% of the club’s revenues in 2023). This is despite the fact that FCSB did not report revenues from commercial activities.
The podium is completed by Sepsi (9.5 million lei, 17% of the club’s revenues). The percentage is reduced by the subsidies received by the club, but the contribution of supporters from Sf. Gheorghe is significant in absolute terms, considering the fan base of the Covasna team.
CSU Craiova supporters contributed 7.8 million lei in 2023 (23% of revenues), while the local competition in Cluj is clearly won (and surprisingly) by the railwaymen (5.2 million lei, compared to 2.8 million lei from the “red hats”).
Supporters Must Be Respected! By SuperLiga Organizers, But Especially by Clubs…
Football is a business. This is a fact.
And the most important customers of this business are the supporters. And, as in any business, the financial contribution of customers is desired and appreciated. That is why, as the direct contributions of supporters grow and become relevant in club budgets, the respect with which supporters are viewed must necessarily increase as well. Respect from both organizers (match days and times) and (especially!) from the clubs benefiting from this form of financing and support.
Passion and involvement in exchange for respect – that is a fair and mandatory exchange!
