GÖTTLICH: WE BELIEVE IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU
Sunday, 13. November 2016, 17:54 Uhr
In his address to the members of FC St. Pauli at today's annual general meeting, chairman Oke Göttlich touched on the current situation in the league but also looked back on a successful year for the club.
Göttlich used his speech to send a message to the players, who were also in attendance: "We believe in every single one of you, in your strengths and your capabilities," he said. "We're convinced you'll get the points we need."
Looking ahead to the forthcoming winter break, Göttlich said: "I can assure you we're tracking the transfer market very closely. If an opportunity arises to strengthen the squad that makes sense and will help us, we'll take it. I just want to say, however, that money doesn't grow on trees here." The 40-year-old pointed out that the club had pushed the limits of what was financially possible in recent years and after a thorough review by the supervisory board had increased the professional football budget by 50 per cent.
"This increase was only possible because the club and its companies are excellently placed financially," Göttlich went on. "In the 2015/16 financial year we were able to continue the positive development of recent years. The consolidated financial statement shows total revenues of EUR 40.64 million (compared with EUR 33.13m in the previous year) and earnings before taxes of EUR 2.98 million, resulting in a consolidated profit for the period of EUR 1.32 million. Though we can be satisfied with these results, they also serve as an incentive. Because we slipped from sixth to tenth place in the TV rankings, the money we got from the TV deal fell from 8.83 million euros in the previous year to just 7.47 million."
In his concluding remarks, Göttlich turned his attention back to the members: "I'd like to thank you for being St. Pauli and living St. Pauli, for getting involved in the club in countless hours of voluntary effort. Without you the club wouldn't be what it is. And this is a club worth fighting for. So let's all pull together, especially when the wind picks up. Let's gather round Ewald and the team and achieve our key goal together. Hope is much too passive for me, we need will. On the pitch and on the street. With you forever, St. Pauli forever!"
Photo: Witters
