Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The primary objective of this study is to forecast the quarterly financial statements of citizen football clubs in the K League by applying advanced time-series analysis.This aims to identify their financial characteristics and to explore strategic directions for sustainable, stable management.Using financial data disclosed in the DART system from 2007 to 2024, the NeuralProphet model-a hybrid approach combining statistical techniques with deep learning-was employed to predict future trends across four dimensions: stability indicators (current ratio, debt ratio), revenue indicators (sales, advertising revenue, ticket sales, merchandise sales), expenditure indicators (player expenses, SG&A), and profitability indicators (ROA, OPM) over a two-year horizon.The empirical results reveal that the current ratio shows a gradual improvement, indicating enhanced short-term liquidity, while the debt ratio remains volatile, highlighting ongoing structural instability in the financial position of citizen clubs.Revenue-related indicators exhibit a steady upward trend, particularly in ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandise, suggesting potential for gradual revenue diversification.However, expenditure indicators, such as player salaries and administrative costs, continue to rise persistently, exerting considerable financial pressure on the sustainability of club operations.Profitability indicators, including ROA and OPM, remain predominantly negative, underscoring limited in asset utilization efficiency and ongoing challenges in achieving stable operational performance.This study makes a significant academic contribution by shifting the analytical focus from annual to quarterly financial data, thereby capturing seasonal fluctuations often overlooked in previous research.Additionally, it offers practical implications by providing evidence-based insights that enable citizen football clubs to identify financial vulnerabilities quarterly and develop tailored management strategies to mitigate risks and enhance longterm financial sustainability.
Authors: Da In Lee, Ji Young Chung
Institution: Kyung Hee University
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4416763596