Financial communication in professional football clubs

Nowadays football is not a simple show but also business with revenues of the football market amounting to 12,6 thousand million euros in the European Union in 2005 and 2006 only. Despite the importance of this market, very little research has critically examined the financial communication of football teams as enterprises in this market. As such, this paper critically discusses the valuation and the application of the impairment test of intangibles assets of football teams. Specifically, this study looks at players’ registrations, which are recorded as a specific item among the intangibles of the statement of financial position of professional football enterprises. Indeed, the players’ registrations represent the main item of football teams balance sheets. As such, this paper critically analyses the application of the rules defined by IAS/IFRS, with the objective to find a correct treatment of enrolment and valuation of players’ registrations in financial statements. Currently, IAS/IFRS are applied only to listed companies. However, IAS/IFRS could be useful for unlisted companies in this case given that IAS 38 defines rules for valuation of intangible assets such as players’ registration. This study follows an empirical approach by taking into account professional football teams listed in the “ the STOXX Europe Football Index” (this index includes twentyfour teams from different member states of the European Union and is as such considered to be representative of the European football industry) and Professional football clubs participating in the 2009/2010 Serie A and Serie B, Italian championships, both held and organized by Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (F.I.G.C.). This work extends the literature on the treatment of player’s registrations in financial statements and provides accountants with detailed information on the application and interpretation of accounting standards for a correct recognition and valuation of player’s registrations.