Only the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics outrank football’s European Championships when it comes to television ratings and budget spendings. The UEFA EURO 2008 is the third-biggest sporting event on the planet. Between 1992 and 2004, the total revenue of the European Championships exploded – from 39.3 million Euros in 1992 to 839.7 million Euros in Portugal. Austria and Switzerland will serve as co-hosts for the 31 games in 2008. The finale will be played in Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadium on June 29, 2008. The tournament’s organisation is handled by EURO 2008 SA, an UEFA subsidiary company also located in Nyon, Switzerland.
Martin Kallen serves as chair man of the EURO SA. As the EURO Chief Operating Officer, Kallen had been instrumental for the tournament in Portugal.
In the “Talk of the Week” on DFB.de with DFB-editor Thomas Hackbarth, the Suisse born Kallen, 43, discusses the limited stadium sizes and speaks about the start of ticket sales on March 1.
Question: Mr. Kallen, please reveal to us the overall budget for the EURO 2008.
Martin Kallen: Sure. We started out with a budget of 133.2 million Euros. Following our negotiations with the eight host cities, we had to beef-up the budget to 147 million Euros. Each city has received a one-time grant of 375,000 Euros by the UEFA, intended to support necessary spending for the Fan Zones. We also give out financial support for traffic control measures and police deployment. Needless to say, the cities still think that the EURO SA should have been more generous. Overall, we will spend 18.6 million Euros on the cities, which includes financial transfers and support through benefit in kind. That is a lot of money, which is due to the great success of the Fan Feste in Germany. During the 2006 World Cup, our cities (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich) realized the incredible dimensions of such an event.
Question: Do you foresee making a profit with the EURO 2008?
Kallen: Maybe a minimal earning. Then again, making money is not our target. We’ll be happy to break even. The sales of the one million tickets will be a major part of the income. We calculate with 138 million Euros from ticketing.
Question: How many employeers work for the EURO SA currently?
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Only the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics outrank football’s European Championships when it comes to television ratings and budget spendings. The UEFA EURO 2008 is the third-biggest sporting event on the planet. Between 1992 and 2004, the total revenue of the European Championships exploded – from 39.3 million Euros in 1992 to 839.7 million Euros in Portugal. Austria and Switzerland will serve as co-hosts for the 31 games in 2008. The finale will be played in Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadium on June 29, 2008. The tournament’s organisation is handled by EURO 2008 SA, an UEFA subsidiary company also located in Nyon, Switzerland.
Martin Kallen serves as chair man of the EURO SA. As the EURO Chief Operating Officer, Kallen had been instrumental for the tournament in Portugal.
In the “Talk of the Week” on DFB.de with DFB-editor Thomas Hackbarth, the Suisse born Kallen, 43, discusses the limited stadium sizes and speaks about the start of ticket sales on March 1.
Question: Mr. Kallen, please reveal to us the overall budget for the EURO 2008.
Martin Kallen: Sure. We started out with a budget of 133.2 million Euros. Following our negotiations with the eight host cities, we had to beef-up the budget to 147 million Euros. Each city has received a one-time grant of 375,000 Euros by the UEFA, intended to support necessary spending for the Fan Zones. We also give out financial support for traffic control measures and police deployment. Needless to say, the cities still think that the EURO SA should have been more generous. Overall, we will spend 18.6 million Euros on the cities, which includes financial transfers and support through benefit in kind. That is a lot of money, which is due to the great success of the Fan Feste in Germany. During the 2006 World Cup, our cities (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich) realized the incredible dimensions of such an event.
Question: Do you foresee making a profit with the EURO 2008?
Kallen: Maybe a minimal earning. Then again, making money is not our target. We’ll be happy to break even. The sales of the one million tickets will be a major part of the income. We calculate with 138 million Euros from ticketing.
Question: How many employeers work for the EURO SA currently?
Kallen: We have our headquarters in Nyon, right next to the UEFA buildings. We also have offices in Vienna and Bern. Right now, the EURO SA has employees. It’ll be 330 employees right before the start of the tournament.
Question: Construction progress for the stadiums has been right on target, which must be gratifying. Average capacity for the eight venues, however, is at 33,750. How satisfied are you with the stadium situation for the EURO 2008?
Kallen: We just don’t have the large arenas the fans experienced in Portugal and Germany. Capacity is a problem, even more so because we have to block seats for groups such as the media representatives. One thing is for certain: Stadiums could not be any smaller, we work at a minimum for a European Championship.
Question: New stadiums are being built in Klagenfurt and Zurich. Why not increase the capacity for some more stadiums?
Kallen: As you might expect, we face a complex situation. Three of the stadiums in Switzerland are run by private business. Stadiums are being used for many different purposes. In Bern, we have a shopping center of 24,000 square meters located right beneath the pitch. We cannot lock the doors for a month because of construction work. We have a similar situation in Geneva. We have senior citizen homes, fitness studios or a shopping cneter located in the stadiums.
Question: Will the EURO 2008 work as a catalyst for the T-Mobile Bundesliga in Austria or the Axpo Super League in Switzerland?
Kallen: Both organisations have done a lot for the development of young talents in recent years. We have built some new stadiums in Switzerland. A lot will depend on the performances of the two national teams in the summer of 2008.
Question: Please assess the popularity of the German Bundesliga in Austria and Switzerland?
Kallen: Our football fans follow the Saturday games with great dilligence. They are not as interested in the Premier League.
Question: When will ticket sales for the EURO 2008 start?
Kallen: Online ticket sales will start on March 1. We’ll offer 290,000 tickets during the first sales phase. Each participating association will receive a share of 20 percent tickets for their own games. The DFB allotment would be send out in December, should Germany qualify for the UEFA EURO 2008. Overall, we’ll put a million tickets on sale. Obviously, there’ll be a great demand for a rather limited supply. Prices will be somewhat below the 2006 ticket prices, but we don’t have category 4 tickets on sale.
Question: What are the areas that still need your most attention?
Kallen: Anticipation among fans in Austria and Switzerland is on the rise. We’ll get much more public awareness following the final draw in Luzern. Everybody involved has to kick into a higher gear now. There’s been enough talk, now we need action. One thing is for certain: Following the World Cup, everything about the EURO 2008 has become bigger and more demanding. Since Germany 2006, expectations for a major football tournament are at a tremendous level.
