Club Brugge prepares to go public
Club Brugge is preparing for an introduction on Euronext Brussels. This IPO would take place before the summer.
Club Brugge wishes to be listed on the main market of Euronext Brussels, we learned from several sources. Will the reigning champion sell existing shares, issue new shares, or a mix of the two? It is not yet clear at this time.
Club Brugge will likely allocate the funds collected to finance part of their new stadium project.
On the side of Club Brugge we are silent in all languages. Banks have already been mandated, in any case, to complete the operation. Within the banking union, Belfius – one of the sponsors of the Belgian champion – play the leading role for the part of the transaction reserved for individuals.
Financing of the new stadium
Club Brugge will likely allocate the funds collected to the financing of part of its new stadium project. The club intends to erect a football temple of 40,000 places on the Olympia site where the current Jan Breydel stadium is located. The project represents an investment of some 100 million euros.
Club Brugge aspires to inaugurate its new stadium during the 2022-2023 season, but appeals against the necessary permits are still possible. The residents, them, have already indicated that they would fight the arrival of a new stadium.
The actions “blauwenzwart” are for the most part (85%) in the hands of the club president Bart Verhaeghe, from the CEO Vincent Mannaert and the administrator Jan Boone (CEO of Lotus Bakeries). Bart Verhaeghe is by far the dominant shareholder of the trio. The rest of the shares are in the hands of local entrepreneurs.
Excellent financial newsletter
The stars are aligned for Club Brugge. The club are heading for a second straight national league title – the fourth in six years – and are posting a excellent financial newsletter. During the 2019-2020 season, the blues and blacks smashed all records with a turnover of 137 million euros and 24.5 million net profit.
Club Brugge would be the first Belgian football club to be listed on the stock exchange.
In addition, the European competitions provide them with millions of euros in income. In recent times, the club has also been very fine negotiator in his transfer policy, with significant added value. The contrast with the difficult financial situation of its main competitor, RSC Anderlecht, is even more striking.
Club Brugge would be the first Belgian football club to be listed on the stock exchange. Abroad, there are already several, includingAjax Amsterdam, Manchester United, the Borussia Dortmund, the Juventus or theOlympique Lyonnais. Their stock market performances are very variable. Thus, the price of Ajax has doubled in the last ten years, while that of German club Dortmund is only half the price of its introductory price 20 years ago.
