Census of Italian Football, Highlights Upsides That May Be Derived from Organising Main International Events
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2 INTRODUCTION Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC), Arel (Agenzia di Ricerche e Legislazione) and PwC are Thanks to the elaboration of data extracted from FIGC’s “Stadia Database” project, the proud to present this third consecutive edition of ReportCalcio Abstract, published in English. aforementioned section provides a complete overview of the main features, services, security and quality level offered by the stadiums of the Italian professional leagues as well as an This abstract intends to summarise, in a brief but comprehensive way, the main figures and trends explanation of the increasing trend of attendances. included in the unabridged version, edited in Italian, of ReportCalcio, the annual publication which began in 2011 and has reached, with this 2015 edition, its fifth issue. With more than 200 pages, its Section 8 focuses on governance models in the Italian professional football system and section main purpose is to provide an as complete as possible reference for those who are interested in 9, divulged for the first time with the 2015 edition, includes an in-depth analysis of the economic analysing and understanding the economic, social and managerial aspects of the football system. benefit for the city of Turin and the local economy generated by hosting the 2013-2014 UEFA Europa League Final. Such analysis allows us to assess the magnitude and the potential ReportCalcio 2015 comprises nine sections: the first one, census of Italian Football, highlights upsides that may be derived from organising main international events. This perspective is the main trends concerning clubs, teams, registered players, competitions and a plethora of particularly crucial for our country, which is going to host in the next two years several relevant other indicators. Section 2 illustrates the sportive, media and commercial profile of the Italian sporting events (i.e. male and female UEFA Champions League Final in 2016, UEFA European National Teams, with a specific focus given to the remarkable growth in the use of official FIGC Championship in 2020). digital channels during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and to the outstanding triumph achieved by the Futsal National Team, who won the 2014 UEFA FUTSAL European Championship. The third The picture emerging from ReportCalcio 2015 clearly shows the current status of Italian Football section presents amateur and youth football, and includes an in-depth analysis of the fiscal at both local and international level. Despite the economic crisis, the football system confirms contribution of Serie D, the major amateur football championship in Italy. a significant economic growth as well as an extraordinary social relevance, and its critical role as a springboard to the economic expansion of our country. Section 4 provides a complete and broad examination of the financial sphere, highlighting the increasingly strategic relevance of the economic dimension of professional football. The fifth section Looking at the path that the current figures seem to outline, we hope that the future editions of analyses the significant tax and social security contributions the Italian professional football has ReportCalcio will show a football system continuously strengthening its social dimension and contributed to the State income, confirming the main role played by the football industry in Italy. its ability to balance sporting results with economic and financial performances, in a fair play perspective. The sixth section provides an international benchmarking analysis of the Italian football system in Europe and worldwide, while section 7 sheds light on one of the most crucial aspects of our football system: the infrastructural profile. Italian Football Association 3 FOREWORD Enrico Letta Carlo Tavecchio Emanuele Grasso AREL Italian Football Association PwC With more than one million players, almost 241,000 managers, This 2015 edition represents the fifth ReportCalcio released. The One of the most important theories J.M.Keynes (1883-1946) more than 34,000 referees and 23,000 coaches, the world of report was born with the objective of providing a comprehensive was credited with demonstrated that an economy may reach football goes beyond the popularity among supporters and overview of the key figures regarding the size and structure of equilibrium, even if it corresponds to underemployment. Today deserves attention also from a social and economic standpoint. the Italian football system. Throughout the years ReportCalcio there is no better definition for the Italian professional football has been progressively enriched with additional information in system. Over the last years, many European countries have levered order to provide an as complete as possible reference for all on the strong attractiveness of this sporting phenomenon in the stakeholders of our country’s football system. Following a resizing in the period 2011 – 2013, driven by wage order to enhance their influence in the world. In this respect, decreases of 3% over the two seasons, the system has not Italy seems to still have significant room for growth. AREL ReportCalcio is grounded on some fundamental pillars: first shown any positive trends in terms of economic or financial has always considered it crucial to work towards further of all, it derives from the construction and elaboration of a performance. Since 2009, the annual growth rate in revenues internationalization of our system and exploiting the significant database which encompasses all of the key dimensions – has not exceeded 2%, unlike our major European competitors. economic growth opportunities embedded in the world of sportive, social, economic, organizational, infrastructure – of football. Given the recurring episodes of violence, eradicating the phenomenon; secondly, it is created with the objective Financial tensions are due to continued net losses and a lower such phenomenon from stadiums represents a necessary to represent an official and documented reference point for propensity of stakeholders to adequately recapitalise the condition in order to exploit such growth opportunities. anyone interested in knowing, studying and analyzing the clubs. In addition, the system uses techniques of anticipating profile of the Italian Football System; in addition, it enhances expected cash flows, generating a mismatch between economic We want this fifth edition of ReportCalcio to represent a further transparency, providing evidence of both positive and negative items and monetary flows which further threatens financial opportunity to reflect on the need for a radical renewal of aspects characterizing the Italian Football industry. equilibrium. Sporting performances seen in recent seasons are the industry. Making people keen to go to the stadium once the natural result of the above. more, creating modern infrastructure and sustaining the All stakeholders involved need to be aware of the importance growth of young talents are essential steps in rebuilding the achieved by football from an economic and social standpoint. In This current situation, characterized by slow revenue growth competitiveness of a football system that a few years ago used this respect, ReportCalcio aims to be a support and represents and financial distress, can only be overcome if the main to dominate the worldwide scene. Special thanks to PwC and an independent, high quality reference point. Hence it is stakeholders produce a strategic plan focused on the short- FIGC for their invaluable cooperation. Through this joint work an unique and fundamental tool to help direct football to a medium term. We believe that this plan has to be grounded on we re-launch our belief that change is possible as well as sustainable growth path, with a long-term management vision the enhancement of the youth sector, to which our Company necessary. that our system can no longer do without. dedicates this edition of ReportCalcio. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FULL TRANSLATION FROM REPORTCALCIO 2015 5 HIGHLIGHTS Census of Italian Football Football represents the most practiced and followed sport in Italy, counting 1,372,137 members registered to Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC). Registered members include 1,073,286 players, 23,474 coaches, 34,381 referees and 240,996 managers. During the season 2013-2014, almost 600,000 official matches have been played in the 12,131 Italian football pitches. National Football Teams In 2013-2014 Italian National Teams played 171 matches, recording 86 victories, 39 draws and 46 losses. The National Futsal Team won the European title. From a media point of view, the three matches played by the National A Team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup produced an average TV audience of almost 15 million viewers. Amateur and youth football Amateur and youth football represents the primary Italian sport movement, counting 13,541 clubs, 61,827 teams and 1,060,224 enrolled players (one per every 56 inhabitants). Its significant economic impact is demonstrated, for example, by the fiscal contribution of Serie D which totalled €4.2 million in 2012. Economic profile of professional football In the 2013-2014 season, professional football showed substantial economic stability: total revenues €2,727 million (+1.2%), costs €2,994 million (+0.8%), net loss €317 million (+1.9%). Revenues continue to primarily depend on broadcasting rights and profits on the disposal of players. Financial vulnerability increased: debts amount to €3,686 million (+8.3%) and net equity is equal to €273 million (-6.7%). 6 Executive Summary Executive Tax and social security contribution of professional football In 2012, the overall tax and social security contribution was €1,023 million, of which 86.5% was derived directly from the professional system (Serie A, Serie B and Lega Pro), with the remaining 13.5% from betting on football. From 2006 to 2012, the total direct contribution of the sector was almost €6 billion. International benchmarking The turnover of the Top 54 European Divisions reached €15 billion (+6.4%) in 2013 with a net loss of €0.8 billion, an improvement compared to 2012 (-€1.1 billion) and 2011 (-€1.7 billion). Total stadium attendance in Europe equalled 100.6 million spectators. Only 15% of clubs own their stadium.