News: K League announces record-high revenue from ticket sales | OneFootball

The K League has announced that the 2024 season saw new revenue records set on account of an increase in ticket sales.

The K League on Tuesday announced the revenue figures and average ticket prices for the 2024 season.

Record-High Revenue

The total revenue from ticket sales for K League 1 and 2 reached 42.556 billion KRW ($31,917,00, £2,340,582), marking the highest record since official tracking began in the 2013 season. This represents a 23.54% increase compared to the previous record set in the 2023 season.

In K League 1, total ticket sales revenue amounted to 34.211 billion KRW ($25,658,785, £18,816,442). Among the teams, FC Seoul recorded the highest revenue with 7.663 billion KRW ($5,746,978, £4,214,450), followed by Ulsan HD with 4.674 billion KRW ($3,505,310, £2,570,561), and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors with 3.978 billion KRW ($2,983,552, £2,187,938).

For K League 2, the total revenue stood at 8.344 billion KRW ($6,258,669, £4,589,690). Suwon Bluewings led the league with 3.191 billion KRW ($2,393,708, £1,755,386), followed by FC Anyang with 791 million KRW ($593,661, £435,351), and Seoul E-Land with 653 million KRW ($490,432, £359,650).

Average Ticket Price (Per Capita Revenue)

The average ticket price for the 12 K League 1 clubs was 12,710 KRW ($9.53, £6.99), the highest figure since 2013. Among the clubs, Daegu FC reported the highest average ticket price at 16,425 KRW ($11,15, £8.88), followed by FC Seoul at 15,292 KRW ($10.38, £8.26), and Daejeon Hana Citizen at 13,595 KRW ($9.23, £7.35).

For K League 2, the average ticket price across 13 clubs was 8,392 KRW ($5.70, £4.54), also an all-time high. Suwon Bluewings recorded the highest at 17,111 KRW ($11.62, £9.25), followed by Busan IPark at 7,690 KRW ($5.22, £4.16), and Gimpo FC at 7,375 KRW ($5,01, £3.99).

Calculation of Average Ticket Price

The average ticket price refers to the ticket revenue per spectator. It is calculated by subtracting the ticket sales of season ticket holders who did not attend games from the total ticket revenue and dividing the result by the total number of paying spectators for the season.

Factors Behind Revenue Growth

The key driver of the increased revenue in the 2024 season was the unprecedented attendances success, with K League 1 and 2 surpassing a combined 3 million paying spectators for the second consecutive year. The rise in the average ticket price also reflects the league's growing popularity, with clubs introducing specialized seating options at varied price points, limiting the use of free or heavily discounted tickets, and focusing on attracting paying fans.

As a result, the K League achieved a remarkable milestone this season, setting records for both the highest attendance and ticket sales revenue in its history.