high expectations like St. Pauli
“Liberation from financial constraints”
©IMAGO
In addition to FC St. Pauli, heavily indebted FC Schalke 04 also wants to create a support cooperative and thus collect more money from its supporters. The club announced it on Wednesday. At the same time, CEO Matthias Tillmann told the “Funke Mediengruppe”: “To free ourselves from financial constraints, we have to bring money to the club. The second division team is hoping for a double-digit million sum. »
According to their own information, Schalke 04 currently has liabilities of around 160 million euros. In 2023 alone, around 16 million euros in interest was due. “We lack the money to invest, for example, in sports and infrastructure,” Tillmann said. The support cooperative should now help.
The established objective of the cooperative should be to invest in the association’s infrastructure projects. The initial focus is on the Schalke Arena. This is owned by a stadium company, in which the club has an 85 percent stake. “By selling the shares of the stadium company to the cooperative, we bring capital to the club,” Tillmann said. Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli also wants to sell stadium shares through a newly established cooperative. The Hanseatics hope for an income of around 30 million euros.
St. Pauli projects
“Show an alternative” with a cooperative
To the report
Expectations are also high at Schalke 04. « Anyone who looks at our numbers knows that it doesn’t do much good if we collect two million euros, » Tillmann said. Only Schalke club members and companies can purchase shares. But you don’t have a say. It is not yet known what the price of the shares will be. Nor the amount of a possible return. But Tillmann emphasized: “If you are looking for high returns, you should invest elsewhere. »