The Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea presented a master class last Thursday featuring several professionals from the football sector, during which students and other people interested in the topic had the chance to learn about the different management models used by football leagues from all over the world.
For the master class, the Real Madrid Graduate School invited a number of prestigious speakers and former students who shared their opinions and knowledge on how to optimise each league’s global impact in a competitive environment such as the football industry.
The guest speakers included Francisco Delgado, Senior Account Manager in Marketing & Sponsorship at La Liga. This national competition in Europe has seen its attendance numbers grow every year, for a total increase of 6.5% over the last 8 years, as shown in a report by the Association of European Professional Football Leagues. Delgado explained the strategies and key elements used to make La Liga a global event.
Another speaker was Susmith Varkey, school alumni and Operations Manager at the Bengaluru F.C, a team from the Indian Super League (ISL). This league has only been running for the last 4 years, and was created by private companies using a business model based on the North American MLS.
Mohamed Serageldin, a board member of the Al Ahly Football Club in Egypt and former student at the school, also took part in the master class to talk about his experience as a player, as well as the past and the present of the club and all the challenges the team will be facing in the future. The Al Ahly Football Club is the most decorated in Egypt and Africa, and in 2000 received the award for the best African club of the 20th century. It has over 80 million fans from all over the world.
The final speaker was Mariano Elizondo, President of the Argentinian Football Super League. Elizondo explained their objective in creating this league, as well as their strategies for reaching fans through new technologies.
Our students learnt a lot about the different business models used by international football leagues, and made the most of the event by asking the guest speakers plenty of questions.
Once the master class was over, there was a networking session during which all the attendees could meet each other and interact.