By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Before tipping off the 2024-25 Regular Season of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Zalgiris president Paulius Jankunas presented a record-breaking season budget.
Projections for the Kaunas outfit lifted the annual budget to 17.7 million euros, including 11.7 million euros allocated to salaries for players and coaches.
“We noticed how other teams are increasing their budgets. We want to be competitive in the EuroLeague and additionally increase ours, but we are happy with our record-breaking budget for now,” said Jankunas.
Initial projections for last season set the revenue at 13 million euros but the club instead gathered 15 million euros, as noted by Jankunas at the top of the press conference on Tuesday. The surge was directly connected to ticket sales exceeding expectations and reaching 6.7 million euros. Financial improvements were boosted by another 0.7 million euros added from player transfers. On a link to the current season, season tickets going over 5,000 have generated 2.9 million euros.
As for the team coached by Andrea Trinchieri, Jankunas reiterated qualifying for the EuroLeague Playoffs and winning all domestic competitions in Lithuania as goals for the new season. In 2023-24, three games was the final distance from reaching the EuroLeague Play-In Showdown, and falling to Rytas in the LKL championship series prevented a double after capturing the King Mindaugas Cup in February.
Moving to Round 1 of the EuroLeague Regular Season, FC Barcelona visits Zalgirio Arena on Thursday. In Lithuania’s Betsafe LKL, a 3-0 start places Zalgiris first on the standings, early in the Regular Season.