Close look at USSF budget

• Washington Post, Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:22 PM

Steven Goff spent part of his weekend leafing through the 604-page U.S. Soccer Federation budget for fiscal year 2013, which covers April 2012 through the following March, and must be ratified at the USSF’s annual general meeting in March. Among his discoveries:

The USSF is projecting a $6.6 million deficit in FY ’13 ($8.8 million operating deficit, offset some by $2.2 million investment income). “We believe our commitment today to both programming and personnel will increase the overall value of our core property and in turn increase future revenue opportunities,” the federation says in the budget report.

That “personnel” includes new U.S. men’s national team coach Juergen Klinsmann, whose base salary is $2.5 million – four times more than predecessor Bob Bradley earned. The USSF is also expanding the officiating program and continuing to invest in the Development Academy, which is designed to bolster the youth system. The USSF is projecting a deficit of $4.5 million for fiscal year 2012, which ends this March ($6.1 million overall, offset some by $1.6 million investment income). The economy is partly to blame. In 2010 and ’11, the USSF banked surpluses totaling more than $8 million, most of it coming from investment income.

From a marketing and sponsorship perspective, the report says, “we have long-term agreements in place [through 2014] with sustained revenue. We are also in the process of pursuing additional long-term sponsorship agreements that will help protect against any short-term economic downturns.” According to the budget, revenue in FY ’13 will come from sponsors ($12.5 million); men’s and women’s national team events ($11.6 million); player and membership registration ($5.7 million); referee registration ($3 million); and coaching programs ($1.5 million). Nike, a major sponsor, earmarked an additional $5.9 million for player development programs.

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