Revenue: €218.1 million (up 111% vs. previous year)
OL PARK: Significant increase in recurring revenue
Automatic qualification for the 2016/17 Champions League
Lyon, 25 July 2016
Revenue for the 2015/16 financial year reached its highest level ever since OL Groupe's creation, totalling €218.1 million, increasing €114.6 million, or 111%, from €103.5 million in 2014/15. All revenue categories contributed to this sharp increase, with significant improvements in ticketing (up €16.6 million), media and marketing rights (up €37.4 million) and revenue from the sale of player registrations (up €50.9 million). Revenue excluding player trading totalled €160.0 million – another record high – up €63.7 million, or 66%, from the previous financial year.
1/ Sharp increase in total revenue, up 111%
| In € m (1 July to 30 June) | 2015/16* | 2014/15 | Chg. in €m | % chg. |
| Ticketing | 27.7 | 11.1 | +16.6 | +150% |
| of which French Ligue 1 | 24.4 | 10.6 | +13.8 | |
| of which European play | 2.8 | 0.2 | +2.6 | |
| of which other matches | 0.5 | 0.3 | +0.2 | |
| Sponsoring – Advertising | 26.9 | 22.4 | +4.5 | +20% |
| Media and marketing rights | 83.1 | 45.7 | +37.4 | +82% |
| of which LFP-FFF | 43.6 | 43.7 | -0.1 | |
| of which UEFA | 39.5 | 2.0 | +37.5 | |
| Brand-related revenue | 22.3 | 17.1 | +5.2 | +30% |
| from derivative products | 9.0 | 10.0 | -1.0 | |
| from Events | 5.7 | 0.0 | +5.7 | |
| from image/video, travel and misc. | 7.6 | 7.1 | +0.5 | |
| Revenue excluding player trading | 160.0 | 96.3 | +63.7 | +66% |
| Revenue from sale of player registrations | 58.1 | 7.2 | +50.9 | +707% |
| Total revenue | 218.1 | 103.5 | +114.6 | +111% |
*figures are preliminary, estimated and unaudited
The table below, which compares revenue in the second half of 2014/15 and the second half of 2015/16, illustrates the Group's performance following the opening of the new stadium on 9 January 2016.
| In € m (H2) | Second-half 2015/16* | Second-half 2014/15 | Chg. in €m | % Change | |
| Ticketing | 20.1 | 6.1 | +14.0 | +230% | |
| Sponsoring – Advertising* | 15.8 | 9.9 | +5.9 | +60% | |
| Media and marketing rights | 28.5 | 22.8 | +5.7 | +25% | |
| Brand-related revenue | 13.9 | 8.9 | +5.0 | +56% | |
| Revenue excluding player trading | 78.3 | 47.7 | +30.6 | +64% | |
| Revenue from sale of player registrations | 32.0 | 3.3 | +28.7 | +870% | |
| Total revenue | 110.3 | 51.0 | +59.3 | +116% | |
*figures are preliminary, estimated and unaudited
The main highlights of the 2015/16 financial year were the club's participation in the Champions League and the inauguration of OL Park on 9 January 2016. Like other large European clubs, Olympique Lyonnais now has a fully privatised, multi-functional, ultra-modern, modular, connected, 59,186 seat stadium (40,450 seats at Gerland) open 365 days a year. The new stadium will form the basis for the Group's fresh growth momentum.
The OL men's professional team turned in an excellent on-pitch performance during the 2015/16 season, finishing in second place in the French Ligue 1 for the second season in a row and thus earning a direct qualification for the group stage of the 2016/17 Champions League.
The women's professional team kept up their exemplary performance with a triple championship win: they won the Champions League, ranked 1st place in French Division 1 (their 10th consecutive title) and won the Coupe de France (5th consecutive title), confirming their leadership in France and Europe.
Sharp increase in ticketing revenue relating to the club's participation in the Champions League and the inauguration of OL Park in the second half
(2015/16: €27.7 million, up 150% vs. 2014/15)
Ticketing revenue from French Ligue 1 and other matches totalled €24.9 million in 2015/16, up €14.0 million or 128% from €10.9 million in 2014/15 and directly benefiting from record attendance numbers since the opening of OL Park on 9 January 2016. Aggregate attendance for the first ten Ligue 1 matches played in OL Park (January to May) totalled 480,174 spectators compared with 366,065 spectators at equivalent matches played in the Gerland stadium, reflecting an increase of 31%, with record attendances at the matches against Troyes (55,168 spectators), OM (56,105 spectators), PSG (56,662 spectators), Nice (55,749 spectators) and Monaco (56,696 spectators). Since the new stadium opened, the average attendance at Ligue 1 matches has been 48,017 spectators.
Average revenue per spectator for Ligue 1 matches rose from €16 in 2014/15 to €32 in 2015/16. This resulted from the combination of two factors: the new, broad range of prices at OL Park, which gave rise to a favourable price effect, and the substantial increase in stadium capacity, in particular VIP seats, which made the volume effect favourable, too.
During the first half-season played at OL Park, the average matchday revenue in the French Ligue 1, including general public and VIP ticketing revenue (which includes services) as well as merchandising revenue on matchdays, doubled to approximately €2.2 million, vs. €1.1 million for equivalent matches played at the Gerland stadium, generating an average gross margin of around 54%.
Moreover, ticketing from European cup play totalled €2.8 million in 2015/16, reflecting the club's participation in the Champions League group stage, vs. €0.2 million in the year-earlier period (during which the team was eliminated during the Europa League qualifying round).
Revenue from sponsoring and advertising up 34%, excluding signing fees
(2015/16: €26.9 million, up 20% vs. 2014/15)
Revenue from sponsoring and advertising was up sharply at €26.9 million, vs. €22.4 million in the previous year, a rise of €4.5 million or 20%, primarily relating to the new contractual terms with sports marketing company Lagardère Sports entering into force upon the opening of OL Park. Until 3
