Japanese company 金宝堂ホールディングス has joined the management of a Belgian second-tier club. Representative Ohno Yusuke (大野祐介) discusses the realities of a business model built around player development and the potential of Antwerp as a city.
K Beerschot VA, a Belgian second-tier club, is managed with the participation of Japanese company 金宝堂ホールディングス. Many Belgian clubs operate at a loss, and sponsorship and ticket revenue are lower than in Japan, but representative Ohno Yusuke (大野祐介) has seen firsthand how clubs operate with transfer income from player development as a core source of revenue.
Belgium’s development-and-sale model is highly established, with players’ performances leading to contract renewals and transfer opportunities for the club. At the same time, the progression of successful players can put pressure on the club’s finances, and there are cases in which the club decides to sell when a player has one year remaining on his contract. He said that strengthening a revenue structure premised on player sales is necessary for the club’s survival.
Based in Antwerp, Beerschot operates in a city where people from diverse backgrounds come together, and has increased the club’s value by sending young players it develops to clubs in Belgium and abroad. He pointed out that the city’s environment is also well suited to developing soccer players, and that there is room for growth in stadium operations, marketing and collaboration with sponsors.
He identified the two sides of achieving stable management as reviewing costs and expanding revenue. Clubs outside UEFA competitions rely heavily on capital relationships, he said, making thorough financial management and a move away from loose, rough-and-ready operations necessary. Although promotion brings benefits such as increased broadcasting rights fees, he indicated that the club wants to improve its internal financial health rather than rely on those benefits alone.
As a challenge for the academy, he said that remaining at the current second-tier level makes it impossible to prevent promising young players from leaving, making investment in facilities and strengthening the staff structure urgent priorities in the drive for promotion to the first tier. In response to the reality that 14- and 15-year-old players are easily poached by neighboring clubs, he expressed his determination to make the academy more attractive and establish a long-term player development structure.