FC Barcelona forecasts €695 million revenue for the 2016/17 season

The Camp Nou is set for renovation

Following a record revenue posting of €679 million for the 2015/16 season, FC Barcelona have now predicted that they will be announcing a €695 million budget for the ongoing season at the upcoming General Assembly. This is a 2 percent increase over their 2015/16 turnover after they had forecast €633 million before the start of the previous season.

The Spanish club also expects a €21 million profit after deduction of tax. Barcelona forecasts that the section with the most growth will be marketing, owing to taking the club brand on a global scale and also with internationalising. Barcelona only recently opened offices in New York and Hong Kong.

Barcelona are hoping to increase their sponsorship revenue by more than €30 million. In the modern business of football, sponsorship revenue plays a crucial part in how clubs gain a financial edge over their rivals. The Catalans signed a new deal with Nike in 2016 that will bring in around $170 million a year.

The distribution of the new TV rights that is being centralised by the Professional Football League (LFP) and this is expected to bring in more broadcasting revenue to Barcelona. The club, however, expects lesser revenue from player sales, a drop of €22 million from the 2015/16.

Expenditures, on the other hand, are expected to increase with the acquisition of new players. Salaries and expenses from the non-sporting department are also expected to go up with new offices being opened globally as well as due to the club's focus on the digital market.

The club's rise to the fore, financially, over the last few years owes much to its on-field success. Since 2014/15, Barcelona have won a remarkable eight trophies. The number of successes help the club in gaining more fans/followers, who, in turn, drive commercial revenue.

In addition to their performances on the pitch, the presence of popular players such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez help in keeping Barcelona as the top sports team on social media. Barcelona's promoted posts on social media between June 2015 and June 2016 created $25 million in media value for their many sponsors.

The Nou Camp is set to be renovated next year, with the seating to increase from the present 99,354 to around 105,000. This will help the club gain more matchday revenue with fans thronging in to watch their favourite stars play.

Observing the way that Barcelona is rising as a financial power, along with their success on the pitch, President Josep Maria Bartomeu's prediction of a revenue of €1 billion by 2021 does not seem far-fetched.

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