From Mexico to India, passing through the United States. In recent times LaLiga has made a name for itself in up to 90 countries, generating a community around the world with millions of followers (150 million on social networks, specifically). Fans who do not hesitate to recognize it as one of the best leagues in the world. But how did we get here?
It all starts with one purpose: to bring Spanish professional football closer to fans from all over the planet. From there, LaLiga began to design a roadmap in 2017 to give visibility to football in general, beyond the big stars and clubs. The creation of an audiovisual product with its own identity and the knowledge and work on the ground of its delegates, offices and local partners have allowed the competition to design a series of activations that have turned it into a globally recognizable brand.
One of the great objectives is to bring LaLiga clubs closer to fans around the world by doing so, in the words of Octavi Anoro, director of International Development of the sports organization, from "another point of view." Because the show exists, you just have to show it and, it is precisely its division that activates this type of strategic actions in various markets.
Without going any further, in ElGranDerbi between Sevilla FC and Real Betis that is played this weekend in Seville, a Mexican influencer specialized in gastronomy and lifestyle will be an exceptional witness of the duel for, beyond following the evolution of Tecatito Corona, Diego Lainez and Andrés Guardado, contribute to the creation of “a community and a fan base beyond football,” he explains.
Coinciding with the creation of the LaLiga Global Network project, Anoro joined the sports organization in 2017, a key year in the international expansion of the competition, as a delegate in Japan. Five years later, LaLiga has a global network made up of 44 delegates and 11 offices spread across 41 different markets (and with influence in up to 90 countries), where more than 1,000 annual actions have been activated that have made it possible for LaLiga matches They can now be seen all over the world, “even in Mongolia, which was one of the last places we needed to reach,” confesses Octavi Anoro.
To make this internationalization process a reality, which has allowed LaLiga to lead the industry in terms of strategic markets, Anoro and his team have participated in the implementation of a global business model that had its origins in the opening of the offices in the United Arab Emirates and China in 2014.
To the success, at that time, of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla FC in international competitions, was added an improvement in the product and in the organizational structure of the competition, which first involved implementing control economic and by the centralization of audiovisual rights to end up turning LaLiga into “a premium product”, in the words of Octavi, ready to make the leap internationally.
For Anoro, 2017 marked a turning point in the growth of LaLiga: “Within Spain we could not grow more. That season it was necessary to go outside. In addition, now we are almost 700 people, when before there were about 50 employees.”
It was then that the role of delegates like Anoro, together with the creation of subsidiaries in strategic markets, allowed the competition to build close relationships that helped open many doors. For example, “we sent 40 people to promote the brand internationally, offices were opened in India and Singapore…”, he says.
Five years later, LaLiga has a broad international presence, it has closed agreements with more than fifty sponsors around the world and its television and social media audiences continue to grow. “It was an innovative project,” admits Anoro. To the point that “when we talk to the rest of the leagues, they are envious of him.”
In this sense, the audiovisual experience that LaLiga offers through its partners with rights is crucial. So much so that between 2015 and 2021 its global audience has experienced a growth of 30%, more than 2,720 million viewers, thanks to the creation of a product with its own identity and the implementation of an audiovisual protocol in its broadcasts. “Technology makes our product more palatable.”
Only in this way, agreements such as the one recently sealed in the US with the American network ESPN, end up being possible. “In the end, the broadcaster renews for more money and more years. The increase in the value of our rights comes as a result of years of work and continuous improvement of our audiovisual experience."
This revaluation of the product would not have been possible without the on-the-ground support of the offices and the team of delegates, who develop and execute promotions, campaigns and events so that LaLiga has more following in its markets and, in this way, the number of subscribers and viewers increases: “In addition to seeking sponsorships, the profile of a delegate is to support the broadcaster and make more and better people talk about LaLiga.” That is precisely his role, “to have a 360 view of the company, know all its areas, identify opportunities, shape them and work on them with Madrid to activate the brand,” he insists.
After the launch of the LaLiga Global Network and strengthening its brand (and others such as ElClásico) at a global level, the time has come for the clubs to pick up the baton. “Now it is their turn and we are at their side to accompany them,” says Anoro.
Hence, beyond carrying out specific activations with visibility for the clubs, LaLiga also makes medium and long-term international consulting and advisory projects available with the aim of accompanying these entities in their desire to expand abroad. at the national level.
Within this very dynamic project, the latest development is the launch of the LaLiga Grassroots initiative. This was created to support, promote and promote grassroots football around the world through the comprehensive development of young players and the training of coaches and other professionals in the sector. A commitment that represents a further step in the development of sports projects, which has already mobilized around 750 coaches since 2015, and trained more than 20,000 technicians and 175,000 players in around 500 projects in 40 countries.
The main novelty of LaLiga Grassroots will be the realization of several long-term programs that will take place in the brand new ESC Madrid Center in Villaviciosa de Odón, a state-of-the-art sports complex, where two of the largest global sports organizations will coexist: LaLiga and the NBA . “LaLiga Grassroots is also born from our commitment to growing football around the world. If football grows, so will LaLiga,” says Octavi.
Both the high-performance program (LaLiga Talents) and the improvement program (LaLiga Academy) are aimed at international players aged 12 to 18, “so that they are trained under the LaLiga methodology” and can train and play with youth academies. LaLiga and other teams.
Added to both are others of short and medium duration such as LaLiga Camps, a series of stays “of one, two or three weeks” for teams, groups and players in order to improve their preparation and collective and individual development. “We continue to grow with new products and services to continue making football grow.” As in the case of LaLiga Business School, LaLiga's business school, which after three years of existence has already taken the leap to an international level with the recent signing of an MBA with a Qatari partner. “We are looking to create a business school outside of Spain as well,” concludes Anoro. Because in the same way as on the playing field, talent in the offices does not understand borders either.
