A Proyect of:
The LaLiga clubs have just immersed themselves in one of the most interesting markets in the world for football and sport in general: the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the Indian subcontinent, one of the regions with the youngest youth on the planet. by having 1.3 billion people under 30 years of age. The passion for football that exists in this part of the world has led LaLiga to establish an immersion program to reach this public and hold meetings at the highest level with personalities from the world of politics, sport and the economy.
LaLiga has revealed to the clubs the importance of this territory, which is expected to be able to generate revenue of about 3,000 million euros. For this reason, he has stressed during these days the importance of clubs understanding this market and knowing how to transmit their own values and those of LaLiga in accordance with the culture, customs and consumption habits of each MENA territory and the Indian subcontinent.
The LaLiga TwentyNine’s space in Doha with chef Dani García in charge of the kitchen.
This bet will be carried out together with the transmedia multinational Galaxy Racer (GXR). Headquartered in Dubai with 500 million global fans, GXR is one of the largest eSports, gaming and entertainment organizations, with a presence in the MENA region, North America, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe. In this way, this 15 year joint venture hopes to retain fans and position LaLiga as the main football brand and entertainment in this strategic region.
To achieve success in this project, training for clubs by LaLiga and experts from the region is vital. Thus, From December 4 to 8, LaLiga ‘moved’ along with 40 of its 42 clubs to MENA territory (Qatar and Dubai) and from there a strong immersion has been carried out through talks about the aforementioned region, focusing above all on social networks and the way to communicate and reach young people through them and that the clubs know what the aforementioned consumers of this zone. By the way, as a sign of the ties that tend to the new generations around the world, LaLiga took advantage of this appointment to present in depth the agreement with EA Sportswhich will be the new main sponsor from next season.
“This immersion represents a before and after in the internationalization of LaLiga in this territory. Sessions have been held so that they know how business is carried out in this region, so that they know what kind of football fans they can find here and so that they understand the dimension that the sport has in the area”, he explains. Victor Martin, Head of the LaLiga Presidency Cabinet. In short, how to reach those 1,300 million under 30s in the most effective and natural way to transfer the values and passion of each protagonist that makes up LaLiga.
A LaLiga action in Cairo (Egypt)
The vision of the protagonists after the experience
Ana Vera is the director of the Institutional Relations Area of the Málaga CF and considers this experience as a great step: “MENA is a region that knows our competition and consumes it en masse. We consider this movement an absolute success in the expansion strategy organizing these days in situ to understand the market opportunities”. RCD Espanyol de Barcelona opines along the same lines through its CEO, Mao Yeto whom this immersion has served to put his eyes on this market: “They are actions that help to better understand our competition and individual clubs. It is an emerging market and all clubs have a responsibility to work together for the common good. Particularly for Espanyol we have not identified it as a strategic international market, but it is an opportunity for our club to position ourselves and get to know the MENA market better”. And for what it ensures Paco Belmonte, president of FC Cartagena, has been a “vital strategic step for the growth of the global project that we form. This immersion will one more boost to a common strategywithout fissures, which grows through the work and trust of all its members and the excellent image that is transmitted abroad”.
In short, “the immersion has been a complete success with the 40 clubs present. And for this to be the result, the participation of key players in the sectorfrom the commercial adviser of the Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain in the UAE to the Minister of Economy of the UAE”, stresses Victor Martin.
And it is with this agenda carried out by LaLiga, it is sought that they be the clubs themselves who explore and make their way in this territory by their own means and with the strength of their brand. Proof of this has been the numerous private meetings of a commercial, sporting and institutional nature that numerous clubs have held these days. The idea is that each club experiments and promotes its internationalization in these countries through its channels, its footballers, coaches, the culture of its fans… In short, through its values and idiosyncrasies. With this objective, it is vital to have made this trip to Qatar and Dubai and thus soak up the consumption habits of each MENA region in the best way.
Trips that add value to clubs
“These immersive experiences and trips by LaLiga add a lot of value to clubs to meet the main business partners and stakeholders related to the sports industry, at the media level, broadcasters, related companies, etc. Likewise, to the whole issue related to fan data, the audience we have there, the level of maturity of football, how they understand it and how they live it, how is their passion for LaLigahelps us find the most appropriate insights so that a club like Real Club Celta finds its way of differentiation so that we can speak to them and understand each other”, he wields. carlos savior, commercial director RC Celta. In similar terms, the executive president of Real Sporting de Gijón, david guerra, comments that this has been “a necessary immersion for international development as clubs in a territory that has enough economy to invest in entertainment. If we want to be competitive, we have to approach the possibilities offered by specialized partners in this market and who, furthermore, have a high degree of qualification in innovation, technology and business”.
At Valencia CF, the corporate director and spokesperson, Javier Solis, has highlighted that his club has been working in this territory for some time, “where for some time now we have perceived a growing and more intense fan base for our competitions and for teams like Valencia CF. For us it is an emerging and strategic market where we hope to continue having an increasing presence. A good example of this is the opening a specific account in ‘arabic’ more than four years ago and the generation of specific content, as well as the constant physical presence in these countries where we hope to continue growing and that more and more fans in these areas are very happy and proud to follow us”.
During the trip there was also an opportunity to learn about the LaLiga TwentyNine’s project and to see how this two-story sports bar, located in the heart of Doha, is a window to the world for LaLiga clubs. In it, chef Dani García, in charge of directing his kitchen, explained how it works, what its strengths are and what types of menus are used to show the world Spanish gastronomy.
LaLiga TwentyNine’s in Doha (Qatar)
The first steps are already underway
LaLiga has a team of 5 people in the United Arab Emirates, but it is hoped that with the new joint venture, they will reach 20. This group will be dedicated to developing the LaLiga brand and attracting new business opportunities and will work in coordination with the LaLiga delegates based in Morocco, Egypt, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates, which will continue to be a key component for regional growth.
As for the first actions, several collaborations with Galaxy Racer are already in the works, including a series of documentaries, tournaments, merchandising, face-to-face events and different activities.
Raúl Sanllehí, Real Zaragoza general manager, considers that “the growing population of the MENA region and its expanding economy, added to the cultural ties with Spain, make this area of the world very interesting for strengthening ties with local sports entities, as well as with businesses and media in the area. And, as summed up Manuel Torrespresident of SD Huesca, this immersion has been “an opportunity to establish commercial and business ties with a growing market such as MENA and the Indian subcontinent, and promote an internationalization process both from the competition and from many clubs that individually, we could not do it. MENA is a region that is betting heavily on sport in recent years with the holding of important events such as Formula 1 awards, international golf and boxing tournaments and the soccer World Cup itself”.
Precisely, the world of football has focused these days on Qatar, one of the main markets in this strategic MENA territory, and LaLiga has taken advantage of this moment to start this very promising project and take the clubs, the protagonists of our football. The frame is unbeatable and the residue that the LaLiga players are leaving in this area during Qatar 2022 will have a more direct and close continuation with these potential 1,300 new fans. It has been an immersion in the present thinking about the future of LaLiga and Spanish football.