The 36 Bundesliga and second division clubs have left the coronavirus crisis behind and generated record revenue of €5.24 billlion ($5.7 billion) in the 2022-23 season, the German Football League (DFL) said on Tuesday.
The DFL said in its financial report the figure was a 9% increase from the previous record of €4.8 billion from 2018-19, the last season before pandemic related restrictions led to lower figures.
The DFL said that 23 of the 36 clubs made a profit and the overall profit was €42.1 million.
But clubs also spent like never before in salaries for players and coaches, up 10.1% or €148.5 million.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, spokesman for the DFL Executive Committee, praised a "path of economic common sense", especially in international comparison.
"German professional football was already on this path before the pandemic. The direction is right," Watzke said, adding that "we can look to the future with optimism".
The DFL said that 55,000 people held jobs connected with professional football and that the clubs paid a record €1.6 billion in taxes in 2022-23, and more than €12 billion over the past decade.
