Finance

Parken attendances lead to record financials for PS&E

Featured image credit: Leif Jørgensen/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED/Edited for size

Parken Sport & Entertainment (PS&E), parent company of the Parken stadium and Danish Superliga football club FC København, posted record financial results in 2023 with a turnover of almost DKK1.7bn (£195m/€228m/$248m) and profit before tax of DKK430.5m.

The 2022-23 season saw FC København post an average attendance of 28,860 – the highest ever average for a Scandinavian club. Some 1.2 million guests visited the Parken in 2023 – double the amount in 2018.

PS&E attributed the turnover and profit figures to “significant” sporting and commercial results, as well as record stays at its Lalandia holiday parks. Lalandia parks recorded two million overnight stays in 2023, over 200,000 more than in 2022.

FC København completed a league and cup double in 2022-23, qualifying for this season’s UEFA Champions League. Boosted by a famous 4-3 group stage win over Manchester United in November, the club reached the last 16 of the Champions League but was eliminated by Manchester City.

PS&E is anticipating around one million guests at the Parken throughout 2024 for Superliga matches, international fixtures and concerts. The company expects to post a turnover in the range of DKK1.4bn to DKK1.5bn, with a profit before tax of DKK150m to DKK200m.

PS&E board chairman Henrik Møgelmose said: “In 2023, we have once again raised our performance and set new milestones across the entire group, and it is a great satisfaction to present these accounts. At the same time, we can already see that the development will continue in 2024.”

He added: “The great result is further put into perspective by the fact that just two years ago we had just emerged from a pandemic that hit both FC København and Lalandia hard with restrictions and shutdowns. The fact that we are standing here now with the best accounts ever is thanks to a fantastic effort by the group’s employees and an impressive support from both guests, partners, sponsors and fans.”

In January 2022, PS&E announced that it was seeking a new owner for the 38,000-seat Parken stadium. The Danish Football Union (DBU) later outlined its interest in becoming a co-owner of the stadium, but so far no deal has been struck.