THE BUSINESS OF HOCKEY
BELMONT TOUROS
Team Value
$1.97 B
Team value, as calculated by
in December 2023
At a Glance
Owner:
Championships:
Price Paid:
Year Purchased:
Revenue:
Operating Income:
Banners:
Jersey Retirements:
Player Trophies:
GM of the Year Awards:
Attendance to Capacity:
0
$141 M
2010
$323.62 M
$102.85 M
2
3
11
1
104.11%
2021
Write up to come
2020
No other franchise felt the devastating impact of the season cancellation as much as the Funky Cold Molina (now rebranded as the Belmont Touros). The Touros succeeding in achieving their second first-overall finish in the regular season in the last three years, earning their third first round-bye in the past four seasons. After a disappointing 10th place finish in the 2018-2019 season, Funky Cold was taking full advantage of the momentum gained from their on-ice success.
Then the pandemic happened and stopped everything in its tracks, and the valuation gains that Funky Cold Molina made in 2019 were wiped out as the teams total value slunk back to pre-2018 totals.
The Estadio de Touro unveiled plans to overhaul the arena's Club Level into a new space, including a section with an open-floor concept. The new area will accommodate approximately 1,500 fans and have high-end amenities and upscale dining options. The renovations are part of the Estadio's $300 million Transformation 2020 initiative.
2019
After a red-hot 2019 for Funky Cold Molina, both on and off the ice, 2018 has been a more subdued experience for the franchise and their fans alike. A 10th place finish in the 2018-19 regular season - the worst in the franchises history - was mostly to blame for the 51-week sell-out streak at the Estadio de Touro ending in fall 2019. The drop in attendance and lack of team success was reflected in the teams' franchise valuation. A 3.19% rise in value (approximately $50 million in total dollars) pales in comparison to the outrageous 71.25% and nearly $600 million bump that the team experienced after finally raising some banners to the Estadio's rafters.
In general, Funky Cold Molina held steady in total revenue and operating income. So, while this means that the franchise ranked near the bottom of the league in total growth percentage, they are still near the top of the league in both categories (4th in total revenue, 3rd in operating income).
With the team seeing a return to competitiveness - closing out 2019 in 2nd place overall in the standings - expectations are rising for 2020, including a new sell-out streak at the box office.
2018
Funky Cold Molina had a banner year in 2018, and the value of their franchise reflected that, jumping an astonishing 71.25% over their valuation in 2017. 2018 figures for attendance reached the 110% for an impressive 12 consecutive weeks, with the remaining 9 weeks seeing the Estadio de Touro operate at no lower than 104.8% capacity. While operating at 104.8% of capacity is impressive, the ominous signs of a drop in fan interest are there, as this is the lowest attendance rate that Funky Cold Molina has seen since these figures started being tracked in 2016.
Focusing on the positive, Funky Cold Molina added a division and regular season title, two jersey retirements and a prestigious GM of the Year award to their stable in 2018. These accomplishments, in part, caused the enormous spike in valuation of the franchise, as they were all identified as key components that were missing from the franchises history. These achievements led to a 23.77% increase in revenue, and a historical rise in revenue - from $41.8 million to 2017 (tied for 6th in the NHFL) to $93.8 million. This operating income total would have been just shy of the 2017 league leaders.
2017
Funky Cold Molina had a very strong year at the gates. In 2017, the team averaged 108.7% seating capacity at the Estadio de Touro. Funky Cold Molina also posted the second-highest local television ratings in the NHFL during 2017. Funky Cold Molina became the eight NHFL franchise to be worth $800 million in 2017. The team has come a long way from a decade ago when revenue ranked among the bottom half of the league and ownership kept games off TV in hopes of boosting attendance (Molina ranked last in attendance for 2009-10). After almost a decade with middling on-ice product, Funky Cold Molina has been on a dominant run in 2017 and will look to build their brand moving forward using the momentum they have built. Lacking any retired jerseys, or division, league or championship banners has held the franchise value back, but it appears Funky Cold Molina is on the cusp adding a number of the aforementioned to their catalogue.