The budgets of the clubs of the western conference of the KHL have been published. The budgets of the clubs of the western conference of the KHL have been published The team from Uzbekistan: a joke or a reality

What we learned from the KHL report.

KHL PLANS TO GO FROM STATE FINANCING

EY has prepared an analytical report on the activities of the Kontinental Hockey League following the results of the 2017/18 season. It discloses information about the financial condition of the league, a detailed rating of KHL clubs, as well as the results of an analysis of the marketing effectiveness of clubs and the league as a whole. It is worth paying tribute to the KHL - the league does not hesitate to publish such information, and willingly shares its secrets.

For example, the total budget of all KHL clubs turns out to be 53 billion rubles, while the income of the organization itself exceeded 3 billion last year. Of course, clubs are still very far from self-sufficiency, but the KHL plans that by 2023 clubs will reduce their dependence on state funding as much as possible .

Screenshot from EY report

The commercial income of the clubs amounted to 5.4 billion rubles. That is, in total, all KHL teams paid off by only 10%. The main source of income is tickets (48%) and advertising (34%). The KHL wants the payback percentage to rise to 25% in five years.

The growth of subscribers to thematic KHL and KHL-HD channels also increased. It is noted that on federal TV the average audience of league matches is 226 thousand people. At the same time, the television audience is heterogeneous - the average audience of top matches exceeds 300 thousand viewers, but even 50 thousand people do not watch conditional matches between Neftekhimik and Amur or Sochi and Admiral.

Screenshot from EY report

The KHL championship matches are broadcast to 32 countries, and according to the report, last season the number of broadcasts to markets where the KHL is not present was 1,657 viewers. This is more than a third more than five years ago. It is reported that the Russian viewer today is increasingly watching KHL-HD, the number of viewers is growing twice as fast as the main channel, and in the near future the number of their viewers may equalize.

KHL clubs are also increasing their presence in in social networks. Over the past few years, the number of followers on VKontakte, Instagram and Twitter has been growing: for example, in three years the total audience of KHL clubs on Twitter has increased from 280 thousand to 1.7 million, that is, almost eight times. This year, the total number of followers on Instagram has exceeded one million.

AK BARS IS NOT FULLY REALIZING ITS POTENTIAL

The League provides clubs with the opportunity to sell advertising space on uniforms, boards, ice, and banners. That is, wherever possible. Six clubs out of 27 last season used all possible sponsorship packages - one of them was Neftekhimik. Residents of Nizhnekamsk clog up all their used space with advertising, while it cannot be said that visually it looks bad. On the contrary, many people think that Neftekhimik's jersey, and indeed the design of the match in general, is one of the most beautiful in the KHL. There is nothing on the jersey that could scare away the viewer, all elements are inscribed in a single concept and do not cause rejection. So you can put Neftekhimik as an example of how competently you can approach the solution of such issues.

Ak Bars sold only 84% of the sponsorship package. You don't have to be an advanced specialist not to notice that the club is not realizing some of its potential. For example, Kazan citizens were unable to sell part of the advertising on board. During matches, the club’s website and the motto #aidanahockey flaunt there.

Screenshot from EY report

Determining the influence of the club on TV is quite difficult. TV Index is an indicator that reflects the interest of viewers and broadcasters in matches involving the club. It is calculated as the share of income from the sale of TV rights to broadcast matches with the participation of the club from the total income from the sale of TV rights. According to the results of the last season, the Gagarin Cup winner Ak Bars has 7.6%, this is the fourth indicator in the KHL. Jokerit has the best result - almost 11%. According to this rating, it is not known what is the most decisive - broadcasts on federal TV or the number of sold matches in the regions.

Let's note one more interesting fact: The KHL believes that there are only two private Russian clubs in the league - Spartak and Severstal. Neftekhimik from next season will also be considered private. The share of state financing of Ak Bars is 96%, the share in SKA is 86%. However, it is worth noting that in the KHL rating, which determines whether a club should be kicked out or not, this indicator has little effect, although, as it seems to many, it should be one of the decisive ones.

Screenshot from EY report

In its quest to move away from public funding, the league has developed a development strategy that will help teams earn as much as possible. But the KHL admitted a couple of years ago that this could not be done as long as there were “ballast clubs” in its composition.

The KHL decided to reduce the number of participants to 24. For this, clubs that did not meet certain parameters were excluded. The KHL rating was developed, which is based on 9 parameters. They are summed up, and those clubs whose value is the smallest are excluded from the league. The first victim was Metallurg Novokuznetsk in the 2016/17 season. True, many agree that the team was not given time to correct the shortcomings.

Screenshot from EY report

Initially, the KHL had to leave three clubs after the 2017/18 season. According to nine indicators of the rating, which takes into account sports results, match attendance, television ratings, financial stability and other factors, Yugra, Lada and Severstal turned out to be the last ones. But the team from Cherepovets not only managed to get into the playoffs, but also created an advanced marketing system. Most likely, this is what saved Severstal. As a result, they decided to remove only two clubs from the KHL.

The KHL was reproached for not explaining the features of the rating. That is, it seemed that the league was manipulating the data, adjusting it to its own standards. Therefore, some clubs hired mathematical specialists who calculated each coefficient and indicated where the club needed to strengthen its work.

Previously, the KHL told the fans only the name of these parameters and their share in the total “piggy bank”.

Sports performance - 0.3
Salary expenses for hockey players - 0.2
The amount of state and budgetary funds - 0.05
Wage debts - 0.05
Arena capacity - 0.05
Arena occupancy - 0.1
TV rating of the club - 0.15
Local market potential - 0.05

Screenshot from EY report

Many were mistaken, believing that these are all "pieces of a single diagram." After all, if you add up all these coefficients, you get one, that is, 100%. It seemed that the cost of "sports results" is 30%, it is twice as expensive as TV performance. No, in fact, these values are in no way tied to percentages of the overall result.

If you fully understand the essence of the rankings, you can predict which clubs have serious problems in which categories and what paths they have to correct, based on the experience of other teams that are higher in the rankings. Ak Bars has the following indicators:

Sports results are estimated at 0.543
Spending on players gets a maximum multiplier of 0.2
Since most of the club's funding, according to the KHL, comes from public sources, Ak Bars lost 0.048 points. If the club were completely budgetary, then 0.05 would be deducted.
The capacity of the Tatneft Arena is 8890 spectators, which brought the club 0.037 points. Clubs whose palaces can accommodate 12,000 people earn 0.05 points. If the capacity is greater, then the coefficient is therefore higher.
If a club has an arena occupancy of 79%, then the KHL awards them 0.1 points. For each percentage above points increase, and, accordingly, vice versa. The occupancy of the Tatneft Arena is 72%, therefore, Ak Bars received 0.092 points.
The TV index is calculated based on the TV demand for matches. An indicator that takes into account the number of matches selected by each licensee (regional, federal and international broadcasters) and the cost of one match under the contract for the last three seasons. Ak Bars has 0.271 points on this indicator, Jokerit has the highest score, since they are monopolists in Finland - 0.571.
The local market potential of Kazan is 0.032. He calculates as follows: if 2 million people live on the territory of the market, then the club receives 0.05 points. If it is more, then it is still 0.05, if it is less, then the coefficient falls. It is interesting that the KHL is of the opinion that the Ak Bars market is limited to the territory of Kazan, the population of the entire agglomeration, which includes Zelenodolsk and Volzhsk, is not recorded here. In turn, the Neftekhimik market affects not only Nizhnekamsk, but also Naberezhnye Chelny - the league estimates the club's territory at 750 thousand people. Although the distance between these cities is the same as between Kazan and Zelenodolsk.

At the disposal of the "Championship" again, as a year ago, there were approximate amounts of budgets (contracts + bonuses) of all clubs in the Eastern Conference for the 2018/19 season. Comparing the numbers, we were able to learn a lot of interesting details. The leadership of some teams works effectively, and someone's place in standings does not match the investment.

The cost of coaching staffs, accommodation and flights are separate items of expenditure. Below are the amounts pledged to the players. It is far from a fact that everything has been spent to the last penny; savings are in the order of things these days. For example, in order for a hockey player to receive a bonus, you need to fulfill a number of conditions prescribed in the contract.

The main thing that I want to note right away. The budgets of the four leading clubs have grown, and have seriously reduced their payments in the Far East and China.

Salary budgets and bonuses of clubs of the East. Who spends and how much

Compare who spends how much and who is in what place in the standings.

"Admiral"

Last season: 460 million rubles
199 million rubles
12

After the arrival of the new leadership in Vladivostok, they seriously reduced costs and wage arrears disappeared, with the exception of past debts. For example, the highest paid player in the current "Admiral" receives 12 million rubles a year. All current payments and bonuses are made on time. The Vladivostok team has the last budget in the entire league, even the penultimate Dynamo Riga has one and a half times more. IN this season I liked the Admiral: the team fought, even despite the far from stellar line-up. No wonder head coach Sergei Svetlov is going to be offered a new contract.

"Neftekhimik"

Last season: 472 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 511 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 10

In Neftekhimik, a few seasons ago, they headed for a serious cost reduction. Previously, money was practically not counted in Nizhnekamsk, but now everything is different. However, the demand from coaches should be different. What could the same Andrey Nazarov do, in whose disposition there were solid youth or hockey players whose careers had long since declined? It is extremely difficult to squeeze something out of such a team. Last year we managed to get into the playoffs, this year we didn't. Let's see how the new Main coach Vyacheslav Butsaev.

"Torpedo"

Last season: 707 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 613 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 7

The budget was also reduced in Torpedo. Many believed that David Nemirovsky would fail with Nizhny Novgorod, but the team managed to get into the playoffs, which is already important. “Avtozavodtsy” do not have large funds, they are the third from the end in the East in terms of financial capabilities, so for now the team can be put a solid four in terms of the “price / quality” ratio. If Nizhny Novgorod also makes some noise in the playoffs, then it will qualify for the top five at the end of the season.

"Barys"

Last season: 596 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 631 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 2

I would like to praise Barys. With the arrival of Andriy Skabelka, the team was put in order, and the new managers did a good job. We remember the recent times when there was discord and misunderstanding in the club. Now it's the other way around - hence the result. Astana, with modest opportunities by the standards, managed to win their division and take second place in the Eastern Conference. It is these foreign teams that are needed in Continental League, not "Slovans" and "Kunluns".

"Kunlun Red Star"

Last season: 772.5 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 665 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 11

"Kunlun" was again left without a playoff, tritely finishing the current regular season. In China, they can not decide on the head coach. The best among all was Vladimir Yurzinov, Jr., and after his departure, the team began to mess. The times of Keenan, Carpenter, Tapola and Frazier are remembered with horror. Weak performance, vague transfer policy and no motivation. With the money you have Chinese team, you can build a much more capable team. "Kunlun" scored the same points as "Admiral", beating Vladivostok only in additional indicators. But the possibilities for the teams are completely different.

"Amur"

Last season: 775 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 698 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 13

A good overall payment for "Amur" (including bonuses), although decently reduced compared to last year. Alas, Khabarovsk residents have disappointed their fans this season. On top of that, the Tigers lost the last Far East derby of the season, ending up in 13th place in the Eastern Conference as a result. The reason here lies on the surface: the club initially made a mistake with the head coach, appointing Nikolai Borshchevsky for some reason. As soon as Borshchevsky left the post of head coach, and Alexander Gulyavtsev took his place, the team's affairs immediately went smoothly. But there was not enough time to get out of the hole.

"Siberia"

Last season: 773 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 729 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 9

Novosibirsk, one of the most hockey cities in the country, was left without a playoff for the third year in a row. There are more and more questions for the general manager of Siberia, Kirill Fastovsky. The selection in the offseason turned out to be a failure, only Jukka Peltola remained of the legionnaires, with all the rest the contracts were terminated. The task for the season has not been completed, which is why the current head coach of Novosibirsk Alexander Andrievsky is also disappointed. His team did not have enough quite a bit, although the "Tractor" could well be bypassed.

"Tractor"

Last season: 948 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 15 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 8

Chelyabinsk residents were also far from impressed. Having initially made a mistake with the appointment of German Titov, the Ural club tried to rectify the situation by raising Alexei Tertyshny, who was inexperienced by coaching standards, from Chelmet. Yes, Traktor crawled into the playoffs, but if Sibir had not allowed so many misfires at the finish line, it would have been in the top eight of the strongest, and not Chelyabinsk. Although, in terms of financial capabilities, Traktor has a decent advantage over its rival. Before the season, the expensive Swede Bergström was invited, who revealed himself just in Siberia. Already in the course of the current championship, Chelyabinsk was strengthened by Enlund and Thomas.

"Salavat Yulaev"

Last season: 1 billion 370 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 484 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 6

In Ufa, they do not spare money for their leaders - Linus Omark and Anton Burdasov receive very decent salaries. And in general, Salavat has never had any problems with financing. As you can see, the total amount of the budget has increased slightly. Hockey is loved in Ufa, and the tasks for the team are always maximum. Yulaev finished the regular season in sixth place, now they have to show that they are fully prepared for the playoffs. The opponent is more than serious - Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

"Motorist"

Last season: 1 billion 241.5 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 508 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 1

The payment at Avtomobilist has grown, but this is the case when we can safely say that the managers worked well. The coaching staff headed by Andrey Martemyanov is doing a great job, and the most expensive Avtomobilist hockey player, Nigel Dawes, is definitely earning his salary. Other legionnaires of the club from Yekaterinburg also look strong. Dan Sexton, Jakub Kovarzh, Stefan Da Costa have big salaries. As a result, the Urals won the division and the conference for the first time in their history. The team is seriously focused on the Gagarin Cup, for which she can only applaud.

"Vanguard"

Last season: 1 billion 270 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 608 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 4

The composition of the "Vanguard" is impressive. Omsk has, perhaps, the coolest roster among the clubs in the East. All this is backed up by powerful coaching staff led by Bob Hartley. The Canadian won the Stanley Cup, worked with many world hockey stars. With finances in Avangard, there is a complete order, the result is also there. At least for now. The Avangard budget has grown, but this is not surprising. The Hawks invested a lot: in Pokka, Franson, Emelin, Shumakov. The managerial connection between Krylov and Sushinsky is moving towards the goal - winning the Gagarin Cup. In addition, Omsk has grown a lot in terms of media and marketing. And this is considering the fact that the team plays in Balashikha, and not in their hometown.

"Metallurgist"

Last season: 1 billion 569 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 776 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 3

Metallurg gathered several hockey players at once, who are among the highest paid in. This is Sergey Mozyakin (the most expensive player), with whom they signed a new contract on improved terms in February 2018. In the summer Victor Antipin and Nikolai Kulemin returned from overseas. It is not surprising that the budget of Magnitogorsk is so large. Here it is worth highlighting the owner and president of Metallurgists Viktor Rashnikov, who does not spare money and invests in Metallurg to the maximum. Ural club- two-time winner of the Gagarin Cup, the result is, hence the serious financial injections.

"AK Bars"

Last season: 1 billion 672 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 926 million rubles
Place in the standings of the East in the season 2018/19: 5

In the leaders of the budgets of the East, as well as last year, "Ak Bars". The three-time winner of the Gagarin Cup boasts stable funding, good player contracts, and most importantly, the result. It is the result that allows Kazan citizens to count on the growth of payments. After all, champion players have to be re-signed under new conditions, and strong newcomers, like Paul Postma, have appeared. The team of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov is consistently reaching the playoffs, solving the highest tasks. Other tasks, except for the championship, are not set before Kazan. In the series with Avangard, as it became clear from the very beginning, it will be difficult, but Kazan did not get out of such troubles.

Salary budgets and bonuses of Western clubs. Who spends and how much.

With the Eastern Conference club budgets released, we move on to Western Conference, where the two main oligarchs of the KHL are located. The given payrolls are approximate and rounded. Throughout the season, the numbers are constantly changing due to trades, terminations of contracts and transfers of players to farm clubs.

Dynamo (Riga)

Contract amounts: 293,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 34,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 327,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 13

The Latvian club exists thanks to the connections of the former KGB officer Yuri Savitsky. A member of the Board of Directors of the KHL raises funds through Gazprom and Rosneft. However, it is not entirely correct to think that the residents of Riga are chic for Russian money. Dynamo is the most economical club not only in the West, but in the entire league. No one except residents of Riga spends less than 300 million rubles on salaries. However, to achieve any results with such a budget is unrealistic. The last place of the Girts Ankipans team in the conference is quite natural.

Slovan (Bratislava)

Contract amounts: 415,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 46,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 461,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 12

By European standards, 6 million euros is a more than solid budget. Even in the Finnish or Swedish championship, Slovan could fight for the championship. In Slovakia, the club from Bratislava is an irritant like SKA. However, this is clearly not enough for a successful performance in the KHL. Slovan lives quite modestly, sometimes even delaying players' salaries. Almost every off-season raises the question of the further participation of the Slovaks in our championship.

Severstal (Cherepovets)

Contract amounts: 396,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 74,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 470,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 8

Given that one of the key points in the KHL rating is the salary fund, it becomes clear why Severstal is predicted to be excluded from the league. Among Russian clubs only Admiral and Lada spend less, while Neftekhimik and Yugra have similar budgets. But what is bad for the rating, in combination with sports results, causes genuine respect. The team of Alexander Gulyavtsev is desperately fighting for a place in the top eight, having only one expensive player in the person of captain Dmitry Kagarlitsky. The possibilities of Severstal would be on a completely different level if the owner of the club Alexei Mordashov (2nd place in the Russian Forbes) was a hockey fan just like Viktor Rashnikov.

"Vityaz" (Podolsk)

Contract amounts: 528,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 96,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 624,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 11

The team from Podolsk, which is patronized by the former president KHL Alexander Medvedev, does not live in poverty, but do not say that he lives on wide leg. We will not deceive if we say that she goes exactly in the place that she deserves based on the payroll. Star veteran Maxim Afinogenov and legionnaires should be attributed to the highest paid players of Vityaz. True, the updated foreign team frankly failed this season, which left the Moscow Region team without a playoff.

HC Sochi (Sochi)

Contract amounts: 482,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 163,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 645,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 6

The frontman of the southern team here and now is just right to consider Pavel Padakin. A smiling guy in the image of Sochimen conquered Astana, where he came for a stellar weekend. but current contract The 23-year-old forward, expiring this spring, no longer matches his level. He will receive the first big money very soon. From Sochi or another club - the second question. In the meantime, southerners, who often use their climate as an argument in negotiations, are spending less on salaries than Vityaz. Above in the table, they are located only thanks to quite impressive bonuses.

"Torpedo" (Nizhny Novgorod)

Contract amounts: 644,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 63,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 707,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 5

In the case of Torpedo, quite modest bonuses are surprising. Apparently, the self-preservation instinct acts as a motivation for the players of the Nizhny Novgorod club. Nobody wants to fall under the hot hand of Peteris Skudra. With such an emotional coach, who is able to raise even the dead from the trenches, financial incentives are useless. There are no big stars in Nizhny Novgorod, but Parshin, Stolyarov, Galuzin and Grigoriev receive very good money by the standards of the KHL. But the main thing is that the payroll does not indicate how much Torpedo spends annually on terminating contracts with players. The rule “the best is the enemy of the good”, which Skudra regularly violates, costs the “car factory” a pretty penny. Yes, only with the departure of Valery Shantsev from the post of governor, "fat" times can remain in the past.

Dynamo (Minsk)

Contract amounts: 582,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 144,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 726,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 10

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko loves to smash hockey players to smithereens, talking about their salaries in the tone of an ordinary fan. “Snickering” - this word is repeated in almost every of the numerous speeches of the Belarusian leader, who himself often goes on skates. Scolding the players, the president nevertheless continues to allocate money for the participation of the country's main club in the KHL championship. Before this season, there were speeches about the rejection of legionnaires, but it is the foreigners recruited anew in Dynamo who “eat up” the lion's share of the budget. The leaders of the Belarusian national team either receive rather modest money in the Minsk club, or go to work in Russia.

Jokerit (Helsinki)

Contract amounts: 650,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 120,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 770,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 3

In November, the main Finnish business publication Kauppalehti.fi published the financial results of Jokerita. According to these data, their Helsinki club suffered losses of 47.7 million euros in four years in the KHL! Enormous money, if you don’t think about what a minus our clubs go to every year. Through sponsorship, the Jesters earn more than any team in the Finnish league, but suffer greatly due to the lack of a major television contract in the KHL. So it turns out that, by Russian standards, Jokerit is one of the leaders in terms of price-quality ratio, but among European clubs, “jesters” look like real spenders.

"Spartak Moscow)

Contract amounts: 690,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 280,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 970,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 7

The first team in the West that does not fit into the current salary cap is Spartak. In recent years, the club has been known as an outsider, but only in terms of results. The financial capabilities of Muscovites are quite at the level of the eight. The fact that the red-whites only this season seriously claim to get into the playoffs is a stone in the garden of management. The powerful financial support of Spartak should not be surprising. Gennady Timchenko himself had a hand in the revival of the club, which ensures close relations with the leadership of SKA. “Humanitarian aid” comes from St. Petersburg to Moscow every now and then. Khokhlachev, Kalinin, Yudin, Dergachev - all of them recently walked along the Neva embankment, having heavy contracts by the standards of an average club. The same Khokhlachev in Spartak receives about 70 million rubles, but, unlike the time spent by SKA, he works them out to the fullest.

Dynamo (Moscow)

Contract amounts: 828,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 145,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 973,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 9

Back in the championship time, the fans and leaders of Dynamo liked to show off, presenting themselves as such a team of workhorses. There were almost no big names in blue and white uniforms, but the depth of the squad and the abundance of players from the “above average” category were not cheap at all. The difference with other teams that took the Gagarin Cup was only in the distribution of the budget between the players. However, it is one thing to spend a billion on a title, and quite another to fight for the playoffs. The leaders of Dynamo in the person of Nikulin, Tereshchenko, Eremenko, Varnakov, Boyd and Hietanen receive as much as if there was no bankruptcy of the club at all. Looking at the place of Muscovites in the standings, you understand why Alexei Badyukov replaced Ruben Begunets as the chief breeder.

Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)

Contract amounts: 930,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 272,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 1,202,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 4

The Yaroslavl Club is synonymous with stability. For many years, Lokomotiv has been among the leaders of our hockey, but does not get involved in an arms race. Yuri Yakovlev enlisted the support of such a serious sponsor as Russian Railways, but he still cannot compete with Gazprom and Rosneft. That is why they move along the route Yaroslavl - St. Petersburg one "railwayman" after another. The latest example was Vladislav Gavrikov. In the current composition of Lokomotiv, there is not a single player with a contract of more than 90 million rubles. Legionnaires, who are the main striking force of Dmitry Kvartalnov's team, crept close to this amount. Not offended in Yaroslavl by the ruble and youth, but the club retains a clear financial gradation.

CSKA (Moscow)

Contract amounts: 1,658,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 600,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 2,258,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 2

Second in the conference, second in the league, second in the payroll. CSKA is where it should be, but this is unlikely to suit the high-ranking patrons of the capital's club. Concluding three-year contracts with players, on Leningradsky Prospekt they expected to win not even one, but two Gagarin Cups during this time. After the departure of Alexander Radulov to the NHL, the club solved the problem of bias towards one player, but Shalunov and Shumakov, Nesterov and Marchenko, Grigorenko and Kaprizov went to the “army team” far from free. And if you remember that CSKA paid Sibir about 400 million rubles only for the transfer of the Novosibirsk trio, the total expenses for the squad only increase. Separately, we note that CSKA is the champion in terms of bonuses. Powerful financial motivation is spelled out in the contracts of the players, mainly those who joined the club last summer. Given the active rotation of Igor Nikitin, not everyone will be able to fulfill the required norm, but the amount of 600 million is still impressive.

SKA (St. Petersburg)

Contract amounts: 2,247,000,000 rubles
Bonuses: 342,000,000 rubles
Total amount: 2,589,000,000 rubles
Place in the standings of the West: 1

Surprised? We are not at all. The fact that the budget of SKA only for the salaries of players has long flown into the stratosphere, having exceeded 2 billion rubles, has been talked about on the sidelines for a long time. Let's say right away that this amount includes the contracts of Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk - the two highest paid KHL players. At the same time, which is curious, they do not have any bonuses. Officially. We can only guess whether the main stars of hockey in St. Petersburg are entitled to other preferences. However, not only Datsyuk and Kovalchuk keep the SKA budget. The bar of 100 million rubles is overcome by Koskinen, Voinov, Belov and Gusev. Approaching this mark, for example, is not a star defender Dinar Khafizullin. The “soldiers” have the highest average salary in the league: even fourth-tier players get as much as the leaders in the province. SKA is stuck somewhere between the KHL and the NHL. Against the backdrop of the distressed Russian clubs, the Petersburgers look like aliens, but $ 38 million is not even enough to reach the impoverished Arizona. Yes, just consider SKA spending unique for Russian hockey not right. "Salavat Yulaev" in the championship seasons spent a little less, allowing you to calculate the budget after the fact, when the fireworks died down and all the champagne was drunk.

Club	Contract amounts	Bonuses	Total
SKA	2 247 000 000	342 000 000	2 589 000 000
CSKA	1 658 000 000	600 000 000	2 258 000 000
"Locomotive"	930 000 000	272 000 000	1 202 000 000
"Dynamo" M	828 000 000	145 000 000	973 000 000
"Spartacus"	690 000 000	280 000 000	970 000 000
"Jokerite"	650 000 000	120 000 000	770 000 000
"Dynamo" Minsk	582 000 000	144 000 000	726 000 000
"Torpedo"	644 000 000	63 000 000	707 000 000
HC Sochi	482 000 000	163 000 000	645 000 000
"Knight"	528 000 000	96 000 000	624 000 000
Severstal	396 000 000	74 000 000	470 000 000
"Slovan"	415 000 000	46 000 000	461 000 000
Dynamo R	293 000 000	34 000 000	327 000 000

Lots of scary numbers.

Championship.com published the salary budgets of the Continental League teams. The last time the financial statements of the clubs were opened in the 2013/14 season, when the KHL itself posted them on the official website. Over the past four years, the amounts have increased markedly.

The main observations that can be drawn from this ranking are:

CSKA has the biggest bonuses in the league, Avtomobilist is the most cunning in terms of bonuses in the East

No one doubted the huge salaries of the army (1.658 billion) and the corresponding bonuses (600 million), but it is surprising that CSKA spends almost twice as much on additional encouragement as SKA (342 million).

Avtomobilist turned out to be the most financially sensible club in the KHL: almost 464 million rubles for bonuses with contracts for 777 million - and the team, assembled from non-top players and Tryamkin with Golyshev, is fighting for first place in the East.

Ak Bars is the third in terms of payments in the KHL

There was no intrigue in the first two positions. The third place of Kazan is also not shocking - five years ago it was the leader of the official rating. Under contracts without bonuses, Ak Bars lags behind CSKA by only 172 million rubles.

Dynamo Riga is the poorest team in the league

Billionaire club could miss playoffs

While the Avangard players are taking off their coaches and fighting at corporate parties, the team is going down in the table. Omsk is already seventh in the East, with three points before being eliminated from the playoff zone, while Amur, which is ninth, has two games in hand. If Avangard does not get into the Gagarin Cup, such a budget for salaries (1.270 billion - contracts + bonuses, 6th in the league) in Omsk may no longer exist.

SKA spends almost three times the current salary cap

The salary cap this season is 900 million rubles, but SKA spends 2.247 billion rubles on players without bonuses (with them - 2.590) and simply pays a luxury tax - somewhere around 280-320 million should go to the league. For some clubs, this is half, or even the entire salary budget.

The leadership of the KHL promises a hard ceiling of 600 million rubles by 2020, but given that SKA is the base club of the national team, everything can change.

SKA pays hockey players 8 times more than Dynamo Riga

SKA's salary budget with bonuses is 900 million rubles less than that of the poorest NHL club

We have already tried to send SKA to the NHL, but against the background of other overseas teams, the army team would look poor and did not reach the lower salary cap. Even the modest Arizona spends 3.492 billion rubles on its players.

All Moscow clubs in the top 10 in terms of generosity

The presence of CSKA among the leaders in spending on players is expected, but the appearance of Spartak and Dynamo is a surprise. Red and white, taking into account bonuses, pay 970 million to hockey players for the season (10th place in the ranking), white and blue - 973 (9th place).

On average, one KHL club spends 757 million rubles on player salaries, 194 million rubles on bonuses

Jokerit is the most efficient club in the KHL

The Finns show what good management is: they are 15th in the ranking (sums of contracts + bonuses), but at the same time they are third in points in the entire league. Many are worth learning.

Western Conference payrolls

Photo used: ska.ru; RIA Novosti/Alexey Kudenko; globallookpress.com/Alexander Kulebyakin; RIA Novosti / Alexey Malgavko; ska.ru; RIA Novosti/Pavel Lisitsyn

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KHL club budgets

Russia's richest hockey team will spend $65-70 million for the season

Continental hockey league was originally created in the image and likeness of the commercially successful overseas project of the NHL, which has been proving its worth for decades. However, unlike the North American counterpart, the budgets of clubs and the salaries of hockey players in the KHL are hidden from the eyes of curious fans. What this is connected with is unknown, but such mystery cannot but be alarming.

The league made only one attempt to work on the Western model by publishing club budgets in the 2008/09 season. Then, for the fourth year in a row, the League and clubs prefer not to talk about their spending, following the example of their football colleagues.

KHL club budgets

But such measures not only do not reduce interest in the financial component of the League, but even increase it. AiF.ru tried, based on data from past seasons, comments from club representatives and rumors, to compile a table of approximate budgets for KHL teams in the 2012/13 season.

The richest are two army teams: Moscow CSKA and St. Petersburg SKA. This information is probably not a secret for anyone. According to AiF.ru, CSKA's annual budget is about $65-70 million. In SKA this figure is no more modest - 60-70 million dollars. Moreover, Vladimir Putin also hinted at this figure. The budget of SKA can only be judged by unofficial information in the press, but judging by the composition, it should not differ much from the budget of their capital teammates.

The budget of Kazan "Ak Bars" can only be judged by rumors in the press. Judging by the composition and spending of the club in previous years, it is at least 60-65 million dollars. And according to the head coach of "Amur" (budget 20-26 million dollars) this season, the team from Kazan will spend ten or maybe twenty times more than the club from Khabarovsk.

On the fourth line with the same figures as "Ak Bars" is the Ufa "Salavat Yulaev" - 60-65 million dollars. The budget of the club from Bashkortostan can be judged more or less accurately, because according to the president of the republic, about two billion rubles are spent annually on the team.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk closes the top five richest clubs in the KHL. It is difficult to judge the budget of Magnitogorsk residents for this season. However, even in the distant crisis year of 2008, financing hockey club was according to official KHL data 45 million dollars. Judging by the composition and coaching staff, the team's well-being at the beginning of the season could not have decreased, and with the signing of highly paid NHL stars Malkin and Gonchar, it should have even increased. Therefore, AiF.ru's forecast is $50–60 million.

According to AiF.ru, the “poorest” teams are Metallurg from Novokuznetsk (15-17 million dollars), Dynamo Riga (14-17 million dollars) and Chelyabinsk Traktor (12-14 million dollars). Close to this trio is the Moscow "Spartak" with a budget of approximately 15 - 17 million dollars.

Stepan Chaushyan, Vasily Borshchov

P.S. In fact, the budget of HC "Tractor" is 50-60 million dollars ...

KHL Western Conference club budgets for the 2018/19 season

The “Championship” once again, like a year earlier, has the approximate budget amounts (contracts + bonuses) of all the KHL Western Conference clubs for the 2018/19 season. Comparing the numbers, it turned out to learn a lot of interesting details. The management of some teams works effectively, and someone's place in the standings does not correspond to the invested funds.

The main thing that I want to note right away. Budgets for all but three Western Conference clubs have been slashed.

Salary budgets and bonuses of Western clubs. Who spends and how much Do not faint from how much it costs SKA to be the base club of the national team.

Dynamo (Riga)

Last season: 327 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 267 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 9
The Rigans have the lowest budget in the Western Conference. This season, the team can put the fourth, even despite missing the playoffs. Riga unequivocally guessed right with the legionnaires, gave jobs to several Russian hockey players (Bilyalov, Shulenin, Gimaev, Pedan), fought to the last to get into the top eight. Dynamo residents know how to live within their means, which is only welcome in the current economic situation. Let's see if Dynamo manages to keep all its leaders for next season.

"Slovan"

Last season: 461 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 348 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 12
Slovan are the worst team in the Western Conference and the entire league. Just compare the budgets and results of Dynamo Riga and Bratislava. Riga spent less, but did not shame the KHL with a three-fives game and did not undress the attacker as a goalkeeper for matches. Slovan, on the other hand, became an exact copy of Medvescak, who got rid of his presence in the KHL. The management of the Eagles has clearly not coped with the tasks for the season, the club does not work well, and at the end of the regular season they arrange sales, which should be banned at the level of regulations.

Severstal

Last season: 470 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 439 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 10
Severstal is supported by the private money of one of the richest people in the country, Alexei Mordashov, which already adds a lot of whists to the club. There are never salary delays in Cherepovets, hockey players do not serve their number on the ice. Everyone on the team understands the established rules and requirements. But to solve more global problems than the tenth place in the West, serious cash injections are needed. The current amount is not enough, although the budget of the Cherepovets club will be increased next year.

Dynamo (Minsk)

Last season: 726 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 464 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 11
Dynamo Minsk has seriously reduced the cost estimate. It is understandable, because the team does not show results year after year. At the father, as they say in such cases, you will not spoil. Initially, it seems that the composition of the "bison" is not bad, but no luck with the coach. Neither Gordie Dwyer nor Andrey Sidorenko were able to solve the tasks assigned to them. At the end of the regular season, Dynamo, like Slovan, is perceived as a supplier of easy points. Such things seriously hit the image of the KHL.

HC Sochi

Last season: 645 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 693 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 6
The main problem of Sochi residents is periodic delays in salaries, although in the end all debts are paid off to the players anyway. Interestingly, compared to last year, the payment of “leopards”, though not significantly, has increased. HC Sochi is a typical middle peasant in the KHL. The southerners do not claim much, but they have achieved their main goal (getting into the playoffs). Going beyond the first round will be almost impossible. Only theoretically, on paper.

Salary budgets of the clubs of the East. Who and how much spends in the KHL They began to count other people's money.

"Jokerite"

Last season: 770 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 704 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 4
"Jokerit" is a vivid example of what should be foreign club playing in the KHL. The Finns have cut the budget (sixth from the end in the West), but are still competitive and set the tone in the league. The team of Lauri Maryamaki became the fourth in the conference and began (albeit with two defeats) a playoff series with Dynamo Moscow at home. In Jokerit, there are qualified hockey players who receive moderate money. There are no sales, no disregard in the KHL. No one in the Finnish team is overwhelmed with huge sums. Meticulous Finns carefully treat the financial issue. In addition, Jokerit is at the top of the league rankings.

"Knight"

Last season: 624 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 859 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 8

Compared to last year, Vityaz's budget has grown the most in the West. Apparently, the players were motivated by possible bonuses. Valery Belov's team has strong hockey players, and Alexander Semin replaced Maxim Afinogenov, who left for Dynamo Moscow, as his veteran uncle. Obviously, Finnish forward Miro Aaltonen returned to the team from overseas for a lot of money. Not getting into the playoffs would be an unsatisfactory result for Vityaz, but now the task for the season has been completed.

"Spartacus"

Last season: 970 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: RUB 937 million
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 7
Spartak had a weak end to the regular season, as a result of which it slipped to seventh place, getting into the playoffs at SKA. The total payment of the red-whites decreased slightly compared to last year, the team, albeit with a scratch, got into the playoffs, but last year everything was similar. Unless the opponent was different then - CSKA. Spartacus flew out of the Gagarin Cup with a whistle, losing the series outright. Now there is no need to wait for a similar result, because one match in the series with SKA has already been won. In terms of composition, Spartak is far from the worst club in the KHL. And the possibilities too.

"Locomotive"

Last season: 1 billion 202 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 55 million rubles
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 3
There is an interesting situation in Lokomotiv. On the one hand, the club is following a strategy of lowering the salary cap. But Yaroslavl can spend much less! The “railroaders” have great youth, one of the best in the league. But there are highly paid legionnaires who play little. Crystal Finn Kontiola, goalkeeper Salak receiving huge money. Swedish defender Kronwall, who lost a lot this season in terms of performance. Yaroslavl residents, we repeat, can save much more. In terms of the result, there are no questions for them yet, but it will be difficult to get to the final of the West.

Dynamo (Moscow)

Last season: 973 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 1 billion 109 million rubles
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 5
The budget of Dynamo Moscow, as well as Vityaz and HC Sochi, has increased compared to last season. Super-expensive players appeared - Shipachev, Kagarlitsky. But these people do the result, there are no complaints against them. But the Swede Zakrisson, who receives a lot of money, did not live up to expectations and the funds invested in him. Dynamo definitely don't need such transfers. Do not forget about last year's debts of the Moscow club, which the new leadership preferred to forget. Judging by the amount that Dynamo has pledged for salaries and bonuses to hockey players, there is definitely money to close debts. In the playoffs "Dynamo" after the invitation of Vladimir Krikunov hit. Let's see how it goes.

SKA

Last season: 2 billion 589 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 2 billion 108 million rubles
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 2
SKA management has set the task of reducing the club's budget. However, this task has been set not only in the SKA, but throughout the league. The gap between rich and poor must be reduced as much as possible. Now in St. Petersburg there is no Ilya Kovalchuk, Vyacheslav Voynov, Mikko Koskinen, Yegor Yakovlev, Patrick Thoresen, Vadim Shipachyov. All these people received big, and Kovalchuk and Voynov - huge money. Only Pavel Datsyuk remained, but he will soon leave the city on the Neva. The SKA pay is still huge, the team is inflated, but tournament tasks are being solved. It seems that this season we will again see the final of the West with the participation of two "army" teams.

CSKA

Last season: 2 billion 258 million rubles
Total budget for the 2018/19 season: 2 billion 172 million rubles
Place in the standings of the West in the season 2018/19: 1
If last season the first place in terms of budgets was occupied by SKA, now the St. Petersburg "armymen" outdid CSKA. True, the payment of the team of Igor Nikitin nevertheless decreased a little (Kiselevich, Ozhiganov, Nichushkin, Petrov left), but salaries at CSKA are still breathtaking. With the introduction of a hard ceiling in the KHL, the "soldiers" will have the most headaches. What do we have to do? Do not inflate composition. Employ those who do not qualify. Do not forget that CSKA still does not have the Gagarin Cup. The Red-Blues have become the champions of the current regular season, but it's time to aim for more.

KHL Eastern Conference club budgets for the 2018/19 season

The “Championship” once again, like a year ago, has the approximate budget amounts (contracts + bonuses) of all KHL clubs in the Eastern Conference for the 2018/19 season. Comparing the numbers, we were able to learn a lot of interesting details. The management of some teams works effectively, and someone's place in the standings does not correspond to the invested funds.

The main thing that I want to note right away. The budgets of the four leading clubs have grown, and have seriously reduced their payments in the Far East and China.

Salary budgets and bonuses of clubs of the East. Who spends and how much Compare who spends how much and who is in what place in the standings.