ANKARA: With an income of over $2 billion, Turkish football has grown by five times in the last 10 years according to a report by Aktifbank, which presents financial data concerning Turkish football compared to leading European football leagues, as Turkish football ranked sixth among European leagues in terms of income. Turkish football’s main sources of income are broadcasting revenue, gate and other commercial incomes.
The Spor Toto Super League attracted 8,395 fans per game on average in the 2015-2016 season compared to 6,225 fans in 2014-2015. Stadium attendance is up more than 32 percent this season with eight matches played. It is predicted that new stadiums and investments will increase attendance numbers on average.
The Bundesliga attracted an average of 42,685 fans per game in the 2014-2015 season, according to figures compiled by Deloitte, the multinational consulting firm, placing it well ahead of the Premier League with 36,163 fans per match in the same season. The Bundesliga topped the European table of fan support with the Premier League next, followed by Spain’s La Liga a distant third.
In France and Italy, fans are staying away in droves, with an alarming drop in support for the game, notably in France, a World Cup winner in 1998 and host of Euro 2016. Billions in broadcasting revenue has flooded the coffers of English Premier League clubs, allowing the likes of Manchester United and others to splash out a record 1.165 billion pounds to attract big names ahead of this season.
Overall, the Premier League is still number one in Europe with 13.7 million fans attending matches compared to 13 million for the German league. For La Liga – still home to the world football’s biggest stars in Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid and Lionel Messi at Barcelona – 9.8 million fans attended matches in the same season, an average gate of 25,734. Last season, and for the first time in its history, Spanish football drew more than 10 million fans, a testimony to the health of the game.
According to Aktifbank’s report, 63 million euros flooded the coffers of Turkish Super League clubs in the 2014-2015 season from gate income. Although the Turkish Super League stayed behind many European leagues in terms of income, considering the countries’ GDP Turkey is at the same level as countries such as France and Italy. Three big powerhouses share 30 percent of broadcasting revenues: Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, as they each received TL 261.1 million ($80 million) from broadcasting.
