Figures from 2022 from the Swedish Football Association show that the women’s Swedish clubs that have a men’s club behind them have expenses that are greater than the income. It’s about millions of losses.
Several clubs tell SVT Sport that the losses are covered by money from the men’s business, including player sales.
– There will be less budget for men. But it is a priority that we as a club choose to do – and we have chosen to increase the player budget on the women’s side by 25 percent. It is transfer income on the men’s side that then spills over, says BP’s club director Peter Kleve to SVT Sport.
“There will be less budget for men”
The money pumped into the women’s side comes from sponsorship, crowd and transfer revenue. The latter two have had difficulty succeeding on the women’s side, therefore the men’s team needs to succeed financially.
– We receive much higher transfer income and it is on a different level. It also means that we get more income for our ladies. We live a lot on the transfer income.
“Not a friend of big bets”
For ten years, Djurgården has increased the budget for the women’s team and they will continue the investment – even though it is not completely risk-free.
– I’m not a fan of making huge investments and then cutting back a little next year because other income in the association declines – but it gets better for us every year and the important thing is that we increase resources over time, says CEO Henrik Berggren.
What are the risks?
– There are risks. If it fails on the men’s side, it affects the women’s side in our associations, which have both men’s and women’s teams in the highest leagues. It doesn’t just apply to us, but to everyone.
Footnote: The figures are taken from 2022 – when the report from 2023 has not yet been published.