Business is growing in Trnava, thanks to the stadium.

The first five league matches of Spartak in the new City Arena were attended by more than 40,000 people. They paid roughly 300,000 euros in ticket sales.

What for the past fifteen years in Slovak football had been a utopia is slowly beginning to turn into reality. This is about the football business and the impact of ticket revenue on a club’s budget. Revenue from ticket sales had previously made up a miserable share of a club’s finances – in all teams it did not exceed five percent of the budget. But the first matches of Spartak Trnava in its new home, the City Arena, suggest that it is possible to make decent money even in our league. In other words, ticket revenue can become an important part of the budget. The first five league matches of the “White Angels” at the new stadium were attended by more than 40,000 people in person.

“Increased attendance can have a more significant share in filling the club’s budget. We will be happy if it reaches at least 20 percent,” Spartak’s general manager Viktor Blažek told the Economic Daily. With an average ticket price of seven euros, the club could have earned nearly 300,000 euros from these five matches.

The average attendance at the new City Arena is currently just over 8,000 spectators. If this figure were maintained until the end of the season, the club could earn up to 952,000 euros from ticket sales. However, the general manager warns that not all ticket revenue remains with the club. “We have to pay rent, which is around 20,000 per match. We also have to cover other costs related to organizing the event. So if, for example, 4,000 people come, the club actually loses money,” Blažek explains. Out of the mentioned five matches, a crowd of only around 4,000 attended in just one case – the September meeting against Zlaté Moravce (2:1). Interestingly, compared to Spartak’s last stint at the old stadium, attendance has doubled. Before the “move” to Zlaté Moravce during the stadium’s construction, the average was just over 4,000 fans.

“Spartak Trnava is currently achieving interesting numbers by Slovak standards. So far the attendances are as expected – we couldn’t think they would sell out every match,” sports analyst and football agent Jozef Tokos told the Economic Daily. The first league sell-out at the City Arena could come exactly in a month, when Spartak will host their long-time rival, Slovan Bratislava.

However, Spartak’s general manager knows that the comfort of the new arena and a perfect view of the pitch will not be enough to maintain good attendance. “First and foremost, we need good results – the Trnava fan is demanding. We need to attract them with good play and a high position in the top league table,” Blažek states. After a shaky start to the season and a coaching change, the team has been successful. Currently, after a run of four straight wins, they are in fourth place behind Trenčín, Slovan, and Žilina. Moreover, the club owned by businessman Vladimír Poór will also have the advantage of home turf for the next four matches.

“In terms of attendance, it will depend greatly on whether the club remains in the fight for the top spots or for a place in European competition. We remember how many people came when they were battling Košice for the league title,” says Jozef Tokos. That was back in the 1996/1997 season, when Trnava finished second, just one point behind the champions Košice. Under coach Karol Pecze, the average attendance then reached an incredible, by today’s standards, nearly 15,000 spectators.