Phuket Business: Football Club sales steady

PHUKET: Business was steady for Phuket FC during the first half of the 2012 season, with the club’s accounts revealing nearly a million baht in revenue.

Accounts for the 18-team Thai Yamaha One soccer league (Division 1), recently released by league’s mother company, Sponsor Thai Premiere League, show that Phuket FC generated a gross revenue of 976,830 baht from March through July.

This sum took into account revenue from ticketing and merchandising; 84% or 820,930 baht alone came from ticket sales, tallied from a total of 17,275 tickets sold.

Overall, in the league tally for the highest number of spectators and ticket revenue, Phuket finished mid-table,at 9th place.

The team’s remaining revenue of 155,900 baht (16%) came from merchandising – the sale of team paraphernalia including polos, t-shirts, jerseys, scarfs, key chains and bumper stickers – finishing a lowly 12th in the league.

Although there were a total of 17 fixtures in the season’s first half, the figures only account for revenue generated at the club’s nine home matches, played at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium.

These include matches against Rajpracha FC (1,255 spectators on March 24), Bangkok United (1,300 on April 1), Suphanburi FC (1,720 on April 21), Gulf Saraburi (1,100 on May 5), Airforce United (3,200 on May 19), Bangkok FC (1,200 on June 17), Chanthaburi FC (2,200 on June 24), Krabi FC (3,200 on July 7) and Songkhla FC (2,100 on July 22).

The statistics do not account for other sources of revenue such as advertising nor food and drink sales, and revenue generated at away matches.

Moreover, they do not take into account salaries, facility rental, travel, training and other operational related expenses accrued during the period.

Topping the league in revenue turnover and spectator turnout, four of the top five teams – Nakhon Ratchasima FC, Krabi FC, Ratchaburi Mitrphol and Phatthalung FC – were division newcomers, having just been promoted this season.

The largest league turnout for a single match so far this season was on July 18, when Nakhon Ratchasima hosted Saraburi to a 1-1 draw at Korat’s 25,000-seat Chalerm Phrakiet 80 Pansa Stadium.

The Nakhon Ratchasima “Swat Cats” topped the league in ticketing and merchandising, generating some 3.8mn baht from 1.5mn baht sales in merchandise and 2.3mn baht in tickets for nearly 50,000 spectators.

Since the figures were released, Phuket FC has played one more home game, against PTT Rayong on July 28, which had a turn out of 2,200 spectators.

— Steven Layne