Results of the 2018 Annual General Meeting
Union growth continues:
On Wednesday November 28, the Annual General Meeting of 1. FC Union Berlin e. V. took place.
Club president Dirk Zingler reported to 751 members the positive development in all relevant business areas in the report of the Executive Committee. For season 2017/18, the club generated income of EUR 43.978 million with outgoings of EUR 43.783 million, leaving a surplus of EUR 0.195 million.
The average attendance for the past season was 21,223. This season, it currently stands at 21,285.
Today, 1. FC Union Berlin have 21,394 members and 407 sponsors.
For the 2018/19 season, Union are predicting further growth. The club is expected to make a profit of EUR 0.070 million with revenues predicted to be EUR 47.076 million and outgoings to be EUR 47.006 million.
In addition to the financial development of 1. FC Union Berlin, Zingler referred to the positional paper, published at the beginning of October, which aimed to set a new direction for professional football in Germany.
"In the coming months, the final decision will be made and the management of the 36 DFL clubs will decide, whether we will succeed in achieving an appropriate balance of interests between the various parties in German professional football over the coming years," said the club president of 1. FC Union Berlin in his speech to members.
"And this includes: the active players, the sponsors, the media, the fans inside the stadiums and watching on TV, the active fan groups and the Ultras as well. I consider the push for maximum media returns to be a very dangerous path. There is nothing more valuable, not even for the marketing of media rights, than sold out stadiums with great atmospheres, without protests and conflicts, in which exciting football matches take place."
Stadium expansion and the construction of the new youth academy centre
The planned expansion to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei made significant progress in 2018. The Senate Administration for Urban Development and Housing passed the decision to set up the project-related development plan procedure. The "early involvement of the public and public groups" also provided for in the procedure have already taken place. The traffic report presented in this context comes to the conclusion that stadium redevelopment at the planned location is not only feasible in terms of construction on the planned scale, but is also fundamentally possible from a traffic point of view.
In the coming weeks and months, it is a matter of combining the information from early public participation, the conclusions from the traffic report and topics such as noise emission protection, into an overall viable concept.
The start of construction of the youth academy centre is approaching. The preliminary planning documents were submitted for review at the beginning of October. Construction is scheduled to start in the summer of 2019. In addition to the implementation of the first construction phase, work has begun on the plans for the second construction phase, which will follow later. This will include a football venue, a sports hall and a kindergarten.
Actions of the Executive Committee, Supervisory Board and Honorary Board ratified
In accordance with responsibilities under the Articles of Association, the Supervisory Board approved the annual financial statements and ratified the actions of the Executive Committee for the 2017/2018 financial year. The Annual General Meeting approved the actions of the Supervisory Board and the Honorary Board by a majority vote. The subsequent election of the Supervisory Board followed next on the agenda.
Election of a new Supervisory Board
With a large majority, the previous members of the club's Supervisory Board – Thomas Koch, Hans-Joachim Lesching, Karlheinz Nolte, Joachim Müller and Dr. Dirk Fischer – were elected again for a further four-year term of office. At their pre-AGM meeting, the Supervisory Board members agreed that Thomas Koch would continue to chair the Supervisory Board during the new term of office.
"My colleagues and I are very pleased with the result of the election. From a technical standpoint, I believe we are well equipped to meet the challenges that lie ahead. As individuals, we have known and appreciated each other for years and know that we can rely on each other," said Koch, adding: "The basis of our community at Union is trust and this is both given and justified here."
