Tapinas reveals Vilnius "Žalgiris" finances: European earnings to fund next budget

Vilnius "Žalgiris" has secured a substantial financial boost from UEFA, earning 1.075 million euros for progressing through the Conference League qualifiers. The club has already overcome challenges against Montenegro's "Petrovac" and Georgia's "Dinamo" Tbilisi, with further prize money available for each subsequent stage.

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For each stage overcome, UEFA adds 375 thousand euros, so if we beat 'Hajduk', we would add the same amount.

However, club president A. Tapinas shed light on the financial realities behind these European earnings. He explained that while UEFA allocates 375,000 euros for each qualifying round, the net profit is considerably less. Tapinas highlighted that a significant portion of these funds is allocated to operational costs, including chartered flights, hotel stays, local transportation, catering, team bonuses, and the organization of television broadcasts.

Tapinas specifically mentioned the trip to Tbilisi as particularly expensive, noting that the cost of the charter flight alone was substantial. He stated, "Approximately, it adds up to about 450,000 euros. The charter to Tbilisi was especially expensive, where I received prices that made my heart race and we slowly started looking for other options. But Tadas (Delfi – Burgaila) said the team must fly like people, and everyone stopped looking around."

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De jure – 750 thousand euros. De facto – unfortunately, much less.

After accounting for these expenses, Tapinas estimates that the actual remaining amount from the UEFA prize money is around 300,000 euros. Yet, this is not the entirety of the club's additional income. "Žalgiris" also generated revenue from ticket sales for three home matches, international television rights, and travel packages sold to fans, amounting to an estimated 170,000 euros, not including increased merchandise sales.

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Approximately, it adds up to about 450 thousand euros. The charter to Tbilisi was especially expensive, where I received prices that made my heart race and we slowly started looking for other options. But Tadas (Delfi – Burgaila) said the team must fly like people, and everyone stopped looking around.

Combining these figures, Tapinas projects that the club has nearly half a million euros in additional revenue. This influx of funds is earmarked for the following year's budget, supporting his ambitious plan for a 20% growth to reach a 5 million euro budget. Looking further ahead, Tapinas envisions an even more ambitious long-term goal: achieving a double-digit annual budget of over 10 million euros, a target he believes could be reached by 2031 with consistent annual growth.

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So, summing everything up, we have nearly half a million euros in additional income, which will very neatly go into next year's budget. My plan to grow by 20% and reach a 5 million euro budget is more than realistic.