Development of performance indicators

Development of financial performance indicators

In the 2021/2022 financial year, Borussia Dortmund’s financial performance indicators – revenue, consolidated total operating proceeds, operating result (EBITDA), result from operating activities (EBIT), net profit/net loss for the year, cash flows from operating activities and free cash flow – were as follows:

Revenue

Revenue amounted to EUR 351,645 thousand in the reporting period. In the Annual Report as at 30 June 2021, Borussia Dortmund forecast revenue of EUR 374,000 thousand.

Consolidated total operating proceeds

Consolidated total operating proceeds (total revenue plus gross transfer proceeds generated) amounted to EUR 456,886 thousand in the reporting period.

As at 30 June 2021, Borussia Dortmund had forecast that consolidated total operating proceeds would amount to approximately EUR 484,000 thousand in financial year 2021/2022.

Operating result (EBITDA)

EBITDA amounted to EUR 80,761 thousand in the past financial year; the forecast for the full 2021/2022 financial year in the Annual Report dated 30 June 2021 had projected EBITDA to exceed the result from operating activities (EBIT) by approximately EUR 107,000 thousand.

Result from operating activities (EBIT)

In the past financial year, the result from operating activities amounted to EUR -29,181 thousand and the net loss for the year totalled EUR 35,059 thousand. The report on expected developments dated 30 June 2021 forecast a net loss for the year of between approximately EUR 12,000 thousand and EUR 17,000 thousand. The result from operating activities (EBIT) for the full 2021/2022 financial year was forecast at approximately EUR 2,000 thousand below the net loss for the year.

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows from operating activities amounted to EUR 35,071 thousand in the 2021/2022 financial year.

Borussia Dortmund forecasted as at 30 June 2021 that it would generate cash flows from operating activities of approximately EUR 30,000 thousand for the full 2021/2022 financial year.

Free cash flow

Free cash flow in the 2021/2022 financial year amounted to EUR -16,293 thousand. The report on expected developments for the 2021/2022 financial year dated 30 June 2021 had forecast free cash flow of EUR -26,000 thousand.

The forecasts prepared as at 30 June 2021 could not be met due in particular to the ongoing restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the early elimination from international cup competitions.

Development of non-financial performance indicators

The past financial year was marked by a number of social challenges, thrusting professional football from one crisis to the next in quick succession. Despite the ongoing pandemic, catastrophic flooding in Germany and the war in Ukraine, Borussia Dortmund once again championed its values and took a stand.

With regard to events in Europe, Borussia Dortmund demonstrated solidarity and has pooled its strengths to help those suffering as a result of the war in Ukraine. Borussia Dortmund has teamed up with the BVB Department for Fan Affairs, Fan-Projekt Dortmund e.V., the fanzine schwatzgelb.de and the “Bündnis Südtribüne” fan initiative to launch a large-scale fundraising campaign for people in Ukraine affected by the war. A charity match against Dynamo Kyiv was then held in April 2022, which raised EUR 400,000. Borussia Dortmund also helped out those in its own region affected by the catastrophic flooding, holding another charity match in Hagen, with the proceeds going to the City of Hagen. Like several other cities, Hagen suffered massive flood damage. The response to the pandemic did not just involve acts of solidarity between the fan community and BVB’s “leuchte auf” foundation, it also included twice turning the stadium into a vaccination centre.

This is proof that football remains a social force that must be strengthened and protected. The club also pushed forward with its efforts to combat discrimination. True to the guiding principle “United by Borussia”, Borussia Dortmund has for many years organised projects that promote a culture of remembrance and education and has taken a stand for social diversity. “Changing the Chants”, an EU-funded cooperation project between the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and Dutch first-division club Feyenoord Rotterdam, was presented to an international audience at a press conference in Oświęcim, Poland, in the past financial year. The outcome of the project was to develop guidelines for combating anti-Semitism in football. The gravity that Borussia Dortmund attaches to its work in this area was further underscored after a 20-strong BVB delegation visited Israel in May 2022 and the stadium hosted the first symposium on “Anti-Semitism in Professional Football”, organised by DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, the World Jewish Congress and the Central Council of Jews in Germany. For Borussia Dortmund, it is incredibly important to ensure that our efforts at fighting anti-Semitism are a permanent and consistent feature so that we can set out in concrete terms how we assume social responsibility.

How important it is for professional football to meet social and environmental challenges and play an active role in addressing them is also underscored by the fact that sustainability guidelines are anchored in the German Football League (DFL) licensing procedure. The resolution was adopted at the DFL Members Assembly in May 2022. This satisfied the demand made by the “Future of Professional Football” task force to include a clear commitment to sustainability in all its dimensions in the preamble to the statutes of DFL e.V. The criteria bring together sustainability in all its dimensions, reflecting environmental, economic and social requirements placed on the clubs. Borussia Dortmund believes that revising the licensing procedure is the right move and an important step for each individual club and the Bundesliga as a whole. The sustainability criteria will apply for the first time to the licensing procedure for the 2023/2024 season.

In addition to the social dimension of sustainability, Borussia Dortmund also takes its environmental responsibility seriously. With this in mind, the club formed additional cross-disciplinary project groups that will increasingly tackle the issues related to the use of resources in match operations and mobility. In cooperation with Dortmund’s municipal utilities authority (DSW21), Borussia Dortmund is expanding its KombiTicket combined match/transport ticket for both individual matches and season tickets. They will now cover the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia, thereby increasing the use of public transport and helping to cut CO₂ emissions. The tickets had previously only been valid within the VRR transport authority region. Borussia Dortmund is also helping make employees’ daily commute more environmentally friendly by offering the chance to lease a bicycle via Borussia Dortmund on a subsidised basis.

The club’s environmental commitment also includes educational projects in the region organised as part of the BVB KidsClub and the BVB Foundation. The BVB Educational Garden, Stadt.Nah.Tour and Borsig-Bienen projects are primarily aimed at environmental education for children and young people in the topic areas of “our natural surroundings”, “biodiversity” and “environmental protection”.

The stadium presents Borussia Dortmund with major energy challenges that need to be addressed in a structured way that factors in feasibility and economic efficiency. In September 2021, we reviewed all properties, beginning with their energy consumption. We have finished documenting the actual energy performance. The corresponding measures to achieve the structural and technical modernisation of the stadium have been developed and will be implemented and pursued in stages beginning from the start of the new financial year. Plans to expand the e-charging infrastructure are also ongoing and are expected to be completed by autumn 2022.

In addition to regular meetings of its internal sustainability working group, Borussia Dortmund invited its partners and sponsors to a first sustainability round table at the stadium in June 2022. This included presenting Borussia Dortmund’s sustainability strategy and outlining the progress made in updating the DFL licensing procedure. The first round table finished on a successful note with a host of positive insights, a lively discussion and an expanded network.

How sustainable are professional sports clubs? The international team at the London-based Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sports (GSBS) has set itself the task of finding out. The independent non-profit uses a scientific approach to analyse the sustainability performance of major clubs and associations.

Borussia Dortmund took first place in “Best Corporate Performance” and the special category “Best Total Performance”, outperforming other clubs such as Juventus Turin and Real Betis.

In September 2021, Borussia Dortmund joined the UN’s Global Compact, the world’s largest initiative for sustainable and responsible corporate governance. In joining the initiative, Borussia Dortmund has committed to acting in line with the UN Global Compact’s ten principles on human rights, labour standards and fighting corruption and to working to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals. Using learning formats, the UN Global Compact helps companies to act responsibly and promote solutions to address global challenges.

You can find all you need to know about sustainable development at Borussia Dortmund in our 2021/2022 Sustainability Report*, which will be available from 31 October 2022 at https://verantwortung.bvb.de/en.

* In accordance with the statutory requirements, the Sustainability Report does not fall under the scope of Deloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft’s audit of the consolidated financial statements.