FIRST QUARTER 2011/12 REVENUE

Very strong rise in revenue (up 39.1%) with continued growth in sponsorship revenue (up €4.5 million) and trading revenue (up €4.9 million)

12^th consecutive Champions League qualification

Lyon, 9 November 2011

Despite a difficult economic context, OL Groupe's revenue developed very favourably, buoyed by the following factors:

• good results on the pitch (second place in Ligue 1 as of 30 September 2011, 12^th consecutive qualification in the UEFA Champions League, 15^th consecutive qualification in European cup play);


• initiatives implemented to pursue the development of partnerships and sponsoring relationships;


• a much more active summer trading window than in the previous year, marking a recovery in this activity.

Breakdown of revenue (1 July to 30 September)

• Sharp increase in revenue excluding player trading: up 29.6% at €8.7 million


• Recovery in trading activities: up 90.7% at €4.9 million

* unaudited figures

1) Revenue excluding player trading

• Ticketing revenue remained high and was stable at €4.0 million, vs. €4.1 million from the year-earlier period.

• Revenue from sponsoring and advertising surged 97.8% and totalled €9.1 million (€4.6 million in Q1 2010/11). It reflected sponsorship contracts that already existed last year (incl. adidas, BetClic/Everest Poker, Groupama, MDA/LG, Keolis) and new ones, both for the men's team (Renault Trucks, Veolia Environnement) and the women's team (Renault Trucks et GDF Suez). Sponsoring and advertising has also begun to generate revenue from new partnerships related to the "Stade des Lumières" and the new "marketing and incentive city" concept.

• Media and marketing rights (LFP, FFF, UEFA) totalled €20.9 million, vs. €15.8 million from the year-earlier period. This increase came about because on-the-pitch performance in Ligue 1 play was better compared with the previous season at the same date (2^nd vs. 18^th place) and because OL participated in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League. Lastly, OL received a bonus on UEFA TV and marketing rights from the previous season. 

• Brand-related revenue totalled €4.1 million, down €0.8 million, still held in check by a difficult economic environment and the gradual reinternalisation of the e-commerce business, underway since 1 July 2011.

2) Revenue from sale of player registrations

Revenue from the sale of player registrations totalled €10.3 million, up 90.7% and corresponded essentially to the transfer of Pjanic to AS Roma in August 2011. During this summer trading window, OL Groupe targeted and optimised its acquisitions, bringing in young players Koné, Dabo and Fofana for a total of €6.9 million in IFRS terms (€4.8 million in French GAAP and €2.1 million in incentives and other expenses), leaving a positive balance of €3.4 million since the start of the season.

Professional squad

As of 30 September 2011, the professional team included 29 players, all internationals, with an average age of 24. The squad included 17 experienced players (2 fewer than a year ago) and 12 young players (5 more than a year ago). Within the professional group, 11 players were trained at OL and eight took part in the semi-final of the U20 World Cup in Colombia in the summer of 2011.

Strategic priorities

Faced with a European football environment undergoing profound change, OL Groupe's board of directors updated its strategic five-year plan and set four priority targets:

• ongoing economic viability, by developing the resources that will accrue once the new stadium (Stade des Lumières) is built. This is a must in the current European football context;


• securing assets, by extending player contracts;


• enhanced football performance as a result of optimised recruiting and innovative training, with an integrated approach across all teams and emphasis on overall player development;


• developing and promoting women's football, as well as implementing a company-wide policy based on sustainable development.

Sporting results to date

• In the Champions League, OL is in third place in its group, leaving open the possibility of qualifying for the first knockout round;


• In French Ligue 1 play, OL is currently in 4th place;


• In the Coupe de la Ligue, OL has qualified for the quarter-final;

• The women's team is in second place in its championship and will play the return match of the Women's Champions League's round of 16 on 9 November. Following its 6-0 win over Prague in the first leg, the team should be able to qualify for the quarter-final.

The Annual Shareholders Meeting will be held on 14 December 2011 at 11am.

Next publication: the publication date for first-half results will be announced once the schedule of Champions League matches is known.

OL Groupe Laurence Morel Garrett Tel: +33 (0)4 26 29 67 33 Fax: +33 (0)4 26 29 67 13 Email: [email protected] www.olweb.fr

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