€80 million in transfer fees for Dutch football drive profits

The top two football leagues in the Netherlands earned a combined total of 32.7 million euros during the 2014-2015 season. The Eredivisie and Jupiler League would have both taken losses were in not for 79.9 million euros earned on the transfer market, the KNVB football association announced on Monday. The Eredivisie spent 468.6 million euros, but brought in 443.4 million, for an operating loss of 25.3 million euros. By selling the contract rights to players, the league earned an additional 75.1 million, pushing net profit to 38.8 million euros. On the other hand, the Jupiler League had a net loss of 6.1 million euros, where teams spent 72.9 million for 61.3 million in revenue. The transfer market brought in another 4.8 million euros. Eredivisie director Jacco Swart praised the clubs’ abilities to act with good financial policy, though there are some wide disparities between some teams. “A successful transfer policy is still necessary to make a profit, but this has always been one of the core strengths of the Eredivisie clubs,” Swart said. Jupiler League CEO Marc Boele noted the negative impact on the league from recently demoted teams still saddled with more expensive expenditures. He said clubs who spend more time in the Jupiler League have more discipline with regard to their budgets.