Since opening its private stadium, OL Groupe has developed a high-performance business model, which has helped drive the substantial increase in our revenue and financial performance.
If this trajectory had been significantly disrupted by the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis, particularly in FY 2019/2020 and FY 2020/2021, the 2021/2022 financial year was marked by a clear rebound in post-pandemic COVID-19 activity and OL Groupe continued to implement all of its strategic projects, in particular the construction of the LDLC Arena (wholly owned by OL Groupe), which is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
The Group is reiterating its sporting ambitions for the 2022/23 season and beyond by relying on its fundamentals, in particular the OL Academy, a targeted summer mercato, player contract extensions, and the recent arrival of a new charismatic French coach, Laurent Blanc, to win back a European place as of the 2023/24 season.
After hosting a number of major events in 2021/22, as well as at the beginning of the 2022/23 financial year, the Groupama Stadium is already recording a rich program as of spring 2023, including the Depeche Mode concert (May 31, 2023), the Muse concert (June 15, 2023), two Mylène Farmer concerts (June 23 and 24, 2023), 5 Rugby World Cup matches (September/October 2023), as well as football matches and tournaments (men's and women's) within the framework of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Other concerts and events are also expected to be made official soon. The LDLC Arena's programming has been officially launched with the Shaka Ponk concert scheduled for February 2, 2024.
The Group also reiterates its medium-term objectives: by 2025/26, total revenues of around €400 to €420 million (assuming qualification for the Champions League and including player trading) and EBITDA in excess of €90 million. These objectives also include net debt of less than €180 million by 2025/26 (assuming refinancing of the remaining stadium debt over 7 years from July 1, 2006).
In addition, on December 19, 2022, the company Eagle Football, controlled by the American businessman John Textor, has acquired from the main historical shareholders of OL Groupe (i.e. the Pathé group, the Chinese fund IDG Capital and the company Holnest, family office of Jean-Michel Aulas) 39,201,514 OL Groupe shares at a price of €3 per share and 789,824 OL Groupe OSRANEs at a price of €265.57 per OSRANE (representing approximately 74.19% of the Company's share capital on a fully diluted basis). Eagle Football has also subscribed to a reserved capital increase of OL Groupe for a total amount of €86 million.
In accordance with applicable regulations, following the completion of these transactions, Eagle Football will file, on behalf of the concert formed with Holnest, a takeover bid for the remaining OL Groupe's shares (shares and Osranes) at a price of €3 per share and €265.57 per Osrane.
"This paragraph contains information about OL Groupe's objectives. The reader's attention is drawn to the fact that the achievement of these objectives may be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the future results, performance and achievements of OL Groupe to differ significantly from the objectives stated or suggested. These factors may include changes in economic and business conditions, regulations, and the conditions for recovery from the health crisis, as well as the risk factors detailed in OL Groupe's 2021/22 Universal Registration Document."
