BENCHMARK ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL CLUBS

Abstract

The paper sets out to compare the models of some of the leading football clubs of the elite leagues and compare the ways in which they are organized, their strategies and sports philosophies, financial aspects of the business and their results. The study analyzes and compares Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, AC Milan, Bayern and Olympique Marseille. The research compares their sports results, financial parameters of business - generated revenue, estimated value of the club, players’ value, income structure, the share of wages in total operating costs, estimated value of the brand, philosophy and declared values, profit or win-oriented strategies, infrastructure, ownership structure, commercial partnerships and segmentation of the fan base. Clubs that have adopted corporate governance models are more profit-oriented because their ownership and organization structure is in concordance with the profit maximization strategy. All of the clubs aim to increase revenue, which is mainly derived from three sources: media rights, commercial partnerships and contracts, as well as the gate receipts. Nevertheless, they are all in search of new sources of revenue.