Guest Lecture by 1. FC Köln: Where Football Meets Business and Sustainability

Between the Pitch and the Boardroom: 1. FC Köln on Football, Business and Sustainability

Real-world insights from industry are a central element of the study concept at CBS. Through the CBS Guest Lecture Series, executives and experts regularly share insights into current developments in business and markets.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Anders welcomed Frederik Becker, Sustainability Manager at 1. FC Köln, to CBS's Cologne campus. The lecture gave a fascinating look into the economic structure and sustainability strategy of one of Germany's most storied Bundesliga clubs.

1. FC Köln is one of Germany's most recognised football clubs. Founded in 1948 and based in Cologne, the club competes in the Bundesliga and plays its home matches at the RheinEnergieStadion. With a passionate fanbase and strong regional roots in the city, FC combines sporting ambition with corporate responsibility.

Professional Football as an Economic Powerhouse

Professional football is far more than entertainment. The Bundesliga generates billions of euros every year, creates tens of thousands of jobs, and contributes significantly to tax revenues and social security systems. Frederik Becker demonstrated the considerable macroeconomic relevance that professional football holds in Germany.

For clubs like 1. FC Köln, this means operating as complex business enterprises that must simultaneously pursue sporting excellence and exercise financial responsibility. The lecture showed how closely sports management and corporate governance are intertwined.

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Revenue Streams and Stakeholder Management in the Bundesliga

The business model of a Bundesliga club is multilayered and demanding. Frederik Becker outlined the key revenue streams at 1. FC Köln:

•       Sponsorship and hospitality

•       Ticket sales and merchandising

•       Media rights

•       Transfer revenues and bonus payments

Sporting success and financial stability are deeply connected – but both depend on effective stakeholder management. Fans, sponsors, media, investors, local authorities, and the DFL must all be kept in balance. A central goal of the club is reducing dependency on unpredictable one-off revenues in favour of long-term financial stability.

Sustainability as a Strategic Necessity in Professional Football

Professional football is a climate-dependent business model. Outdoor stadiums, travel, energy consumption, and material use make sustainability an increasingly business-critical issue for clubs. Frederik Becker put it plainly: "Earth is the only planet we can play football on."

1. FC Köln therefore sets concrete targets across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions. The FC Sustainability Dashboard shows how the club measures, tracks, and continuously improves its sustainability performance. Students took away a clear message: succeeding in modern sports business requires integrating economic thinking, innovation, and social responsibility.

Real-World Business Experience Embedded in the Curriculum

The guest lecture by 1. FC Köln exemplifies the concept of practice-oriented learning at CBS.

Across our business programmes, the integration of real-world business practice is systematically embedded through:

• Business Projects addressing real strategic and operational challenges from partner companies
• Regular guest lectures by executives and industry experts
• Conventions providing space for interdisciplinary learning and practice-oriented leadership experiences
• Case studies and simulation games addressing typical business challenges
• Mandatory internships for applying academic knowledge in a corporate context
• Dual study formats with continuous integration into company structures
• A network of more than 1,300 partner companies across various industries

This structured integration enables students not only to analyse business challenges analytically, but to develop well-founded decisions under real market conditions.

Anyone who chooses to study at CBS not only receives a scientifically grounded education but also gains the opportunity to build confidence in a professional environment at an early stage — working in teams, engaging with genuine decision-makers, and operating under real business conditions.

With events like this, CBS underlines its commitment to systematically embedding practice-oriented learning in its programmes and preparing students for leadership and expert roles in the digital economy.

Conclusion: More Than a Game – Football as a Responsible Business Model

Frederik Becker's lecture showedjust how multifaceted the business model of a modern Bundesliga club is. Fromrevenue streams and stakeholder management to sustainability strategy: professionalfootball is a complex economic ecosystem in which emotional fan engagementand economic strategy go hand in hand.

The event offered students valuableinsights into the intersection of sport, business, and sustainability – anda realistic picture of what it means to work in the sports industry.