By Andrea Caropreso
Index
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A recent headline saw Milan Futuro, AC Milan’s second team, relegated to Serie D after losing the playout against SPAL. Just one year among the professionals, then, for the Rossoneri’s second team since its foundation in 2024. According to the club’s management, this will not compromise the project, as the goal of the B team was always to develop young players—an objective that will remain even in Serie D. However, maintaining a second team has come at a financial cost and impacted the club’s overall budget.
The Costs of Second Teams
Setting up an Under-23 team to compete in Serie C involves structured expenses in several areas. The first is the league entry fee. One of the main costs is a mandatory payment to Serie C, amounting to €1.2 million per year, to secure participation rights in the professional competition.
Secondly, there’s player salaries. Although U23 players earn less than those in the first team, maintaining a squad of 20 to 26 athletes requires an annual investment ranging from €500,000 to €1 million, depending on individual contracts. Occasionally, clubs include up to four overage players (older than 23), which can increase costs, though these are often players already on the payroll.
In addition, there are the technical staff expenses, which typically range from €300,000 to €600,000 per year, and stadium-related costs. For a club-owned stadium, maintenance and utilities range from €50,000 to €100,000 per year, whereas renting an external facility can cost between €200,000 and €300,000 per season. The initial start-up cost for such a project is estimated at €2–2.5 million, covering fees to the league, contract activations, and logistical adjustments.
The Juventus Model
This means that any club investing in such a project is allocating a significant sum. In Milan’s case, the project has cost between €12 and €15 million, and results have yet to materialize. However, the club sees this as a medium-to-long-term goal, taking inspiration from the Juventus model.
Under Andrea Agnelli’s presidency, Juventus was the first Italian club to believe in the second team concept, following a structure already successful in Spain. Seven years after the launch of Juventus Next Gen, the benefits are clear. While it’s true Juventus has rarely relied heavily on homegrown talents, these players have proved financially valuable during transfer dealings.
From Fagioli to Huijsen, and then Miretti, Iling-Junior, Barrenechea, and Yildiz—the Juventus model turned into a winning business plan, allowing the club to enhance young talents and use them as bargaining chips in the transfer market. This model has now been adopted by Atalanta, a club known for its youth development, and by Milan—though at a lower cost, in line with youth academy operations and using the first team’s stadium (like the Gewiss Stadium in Atalanta’s case).
By Andrea Caropreso
