Featured image credit: Zakarie Faibis/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED/Edited for size
The top two divisions of French club football, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, have seen their total operating income climb to over €2.6bn (£2.28bn/$2.85bn), but net losses persist despite a cut of over 50% on this front.
The findings come from the annual report from the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), the body responsible for monitoring and overseeing the accounts of French professional clubs, for the 2022-23 season.
Across the top two leagues, total operating income stood at €2.66bn versus the previous campaign’s figure of €2.26bn, with gate receipts rising by 18% year-on-year to €288.9m. However, despite a 53% reduction, the net loss across Ligue 1 and 2 still stands at €282m.
In Ligue 1 specifically, total non-transfer revenue rose by 17% to €2.38bn, with gate receipts accounting for €256.2m of this figure, up by 14%. The top division’s net loss fell from €581.9m to €273.2m.
On their own, the DNCG report notes that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais account for more than half of the Ligue 1 gate receipts thanks to their stadium capacity, their high fill rates and ticket prices.
The French Football League (LFP) has been reporting a growth in match attendance, with the report noting that the average ticket price in Ligue 1 decreased by €1.39 compared to 2021-22, to stand at €27.95.
Going club-by-club, with losses of €110m and €99m, respectively, PSG and Lyon account for nearly 77% of the cumulative loss across all Ligue 1 clubs. After PSG and Lyon, OGC Nice recorded the next biggest loss at €64m, followed by Rennes (€14m) and Marseille (€12.7m).
Eight top division teams managed to turn a profit in 2022-23, headlined by LOSC Lille (€30m). The next best performing clubs were Clermont Foot (€14.9m), and Lorient (€8.1m).
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