How The Finances Of The Champions League Could Help A Smaller Team

Usually, the biggest prize in soccer is won by the biggest teams in the world and this has been the way for decades. The last shocking Champions League winner was Porto in 2004 and since then, it has only been big teams. Over the last two years, we have seen teams like Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund make it to the final and these are not the best teams in the world. 

Even though they both lost and didn’t take home the biggest prize, we are still happy that an underdog made it that far. The great thing about the Champions League is the fact that it is so lucrative. A team like Inter and Dortmund can really benefit from reaching deep into the tournament and this can help them a lot. 

How Much Money Is Available 

We will look at this from the perspective of a smaller club like Bologna. Now, unfortunately, Bologna had their manager and best players poached this summer so we doubt they will go far in the  . 

However, if there was a minor miracle and Bologna defied the Champions League odds and made it to the Quarterfinals the money they would receive would be massive for the club’s revenue. 

From the Round of 16 onwards, the money takes a huge spike, with $9.6 million available in the round of 16. Even this would help a smaller club but if they made it to the final and lost they would make $15.5 million.

Now, in the grand scheme of soccer money, this may not seem like much but this is pure profit from going far in a tournament that is known for being the most attractive for players. It is a win-win situation.

Why This Money Is Important

One of the most important things in soccer is money, money makes the world go round and this is the same in soccer. There are a lot of ways for revenue to be made in soccer and although the Champions League is one of the most lucrative, this is one that is made by the club having strong finances. 

A small team won’t be able to make it to the Champions League without a good financial background. One of the best ways a team can get strong revenue is through gate receipts and one of the best ways to get these is from, you guessed, the Champions League.

When teams like Leicester make it to the Champions League, they often break their gate receipts records because it is a new experience for fans and tickets are often priced up. When revenue is brought in the club can grow and become stronger financially, this is why teams want to get to the Champions League more than anything. 

What Clubs Can Use The Revenue For

When a club earns this extra money they can make the club better in a lot of ways. The actual club itself can be improved in many ways but the one that the fans will notice and appreciate more is on the field. 

A team can finish in the Champions League and sign players who are above their level to help them do well. If a team can convince good or great players to join them they could slowly become a regular in the biggest tournaments in club football.

Off The Pitch

The infrastructure of the club is one of the more important things that goes under the radar. We have seen recently that some of the biggest teams in football like Manchester United have terrible training facilities and that this seriously affects their players, this will most likely change with the new owners coming in. Whereas Man City have the best in the world and look at how well they do.

Now we aren’t saying that a good training pitch can change the way a team plays, but these things are key and can help a club more than you would think.