FC Schalke 04: record turnover of €264.5m (+23%) and €22.5m net profit in 2015

FC Schalke 04 (Bundesliga) posted a record turnover of €264.5m for the 2015 financial year (from 01/01 to 31/12/2015), up €49.2m, +23% compared to 2014 (€215.3m), the club announced on 15/03/2016. The club's (founded 04/05/1904) previous record mark was from 2011 (€224.2m), when Schalke reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and won the DFB-Pokal.

The new record mark is mainly due to higher revenues from player trading, which was multiplied by five between 2014 (€10.1m) and 2015 (€50.9m). The two main income sources of the club -- audiovisual rights (€70.3m) and sponsorship (€67m) -- remained stable over 12 months, while merchandising income rose by 13% (from €16.3m to €18.5m) and catering revenues were up 31% (from €9.8m to €12.8m) between 2014 and 2015.

FC Schalke 04 posted an operating profit of €27.7m on 31/12/2015, 7.5 times higher than in 2014 (€3.7m) and a net profit of €22.5m, 5.4 times that achieved one year earlier (€4.15m). Since 2010, the Gelsenkirchen club has posted an annual net income, except in 2012 (net loss of €8.9m). The debt of FC Schalke 04 fell by…