A new financial report card for European soccer leagues says Germany's Bundesliga had total revenues of 1.4 billion euros ($2.0 billion) for the 2007/2008 season, tying for second place with the Spanish Primera Division. The English Premier League was almost a billion euros ahead of its continental peers with revenues of more than 2.4 billion euros, according to the report carried out by accountancy group Deloitte.

European soccer as a whole saw record revenues of 14.6 billion euros, with more than half of that, 7.7 billion euros coming from the five biggest leagues: the Premier League, the Bundesliga, the Primera Division, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1.

The Premier League was also the most profitable league, with an operating income of 234 million euros, an honor the Bundesliga had held in the previous season. The Bundesliga saw a profit of 136 million euros in 2007/08.

Where the German teams do come in first place, however, is game attendance. With average crowds of just under 40,000 visitors, the Bundesliga for the sixth time had the best attendance rates in Europe and worldwide.

The data does not take into account the global economic crisis, because the 2007/2008 season ended before the financial trouble began taking effect in Europe, Deloitte said. However, fan attendance - one of the key barometers of a football club's income - has risen in the Bundesliga this past season, with over 42,000 supporters flocking to the average Bundesliga match.

Bundesliga looking good for the future

Another ace up the Bundesliga's sleeve is that relatively few of its clubs are saddled with vast debts. This means that the German top flight is one of the best placed to weather the current economic storm, according to Deloitte's sports business senior manager in Germany, Stefan Ludwig.

"The Bundesliga remains one of the economically healthiest leagues in the world, due to its stringent licensing procedures and will remain in the focus of potential investors," he said.

With its secure television revenues and such high attendance rates, the Bundesliga is well positioned for the future, Ludwig said.

hf/AFP/dpa/SID
Editor: Nancy Isenson