The Catalan club's board of directors, headed by president Joan Laporta, is hoping for new financial prospects following the future opening of the new stadium. The secret to success is supposed to be the model pioneered in the USA among NFL venue owners. What should this look like in practice?

Investment in VIP and Hospitality zones - how to make money the American way?

Shortly after the move to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Blaugrana are looking forward to their imminent return to their new home with much impatience, mainly for financial reasons. In addition to the existing debt already exceeding €1.3 billion, the cost of ticket restrictions has recently burdened the club’s budget. A reduction in the number of tickets sold by almost half (from 99,354 to 49,472) represents a loss of €78 million compared to the capacity of the old Spotify Camp Nou. See also: Camp Nou construction ahead of schedule at the expense of worker exploitation?

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel which has ignited dreams of FC Barcelona's financial renaissance. The club's owners are basing their optimism on a soon-to-be-implemented money-making model that has celebrated its massive successes in the US. The stadiums used every season by American footballers do not bring in the most revenue during match days. It all depends on a skilfully developed infrastructure that can provide revenue of up to ⅔ of the club's total earnings.

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What is the business phenomenon of NFL arenas?

In America, filling stadiums with enthusiastic fans is important, but the key is to offer comfortable facility spaces for non-sporting purposes. This encourages not only fans but more importantly tourists to visit and purchase club merchandise. A perfect example is the overview of the revenues of three clubs from different conferences:

Contribution of NFL stadiums to overall club revenue

Such figures would certainly liquefy Barcelona's finances. Of course, the cultural differences between Spain and the USA must be kept in mind, but the proportions should still remain kind to Joan Laporta. This is what experts from Legends International and Innovative Partnerships Group have calculated. According to them, Barça would be assured of an annual revenue of €347 million.

Preliminary work on the new Camp Nou began back in July last year. The official opening of the venue is scheduled for the 2024/25 season and the final finishing touches will be done by the end of 2025.

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