Yemisi Izuora
In a bid to promote the development of football, both locally and globally, LaLiga oversees training programmes, value-enhancing initiatives has signed numerous agreements with international organisations. These efforts are all part of the institution’s quest to ensure that the experience garnered throughout the history of the Spanish league serves to assist the growth of the game and its values across the globe.
In terms of institutional relations, LaLiga has secured over 30 agreements with federations, leagues and other institutions in countries including, Nigeria United States, Argentina, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand and Japan. These partnerships would enable the organisation to explore potential cooperation schemes and projects involving the sharing of knowledge and ideas.
The LaLiga clubs are also heavily involved in this mission, running various strategic projects and signing international agreements, whilst also opening academies and sporting schools throughout the world.
Spanish football’s governing body and its clubs aim to develop the local game internationally, while working to become the second most popular competition in each country, behind the respective domestic leagues. This operation is based around the following four lines of action: institutional relations, the training of players and coaches, protecting the integrity of the game and social responsibility.
One area in which this knowledge sharing is seen is in the second line of action: the training of players and coaches. Through its network of expert coaches, LaLiga has rolled out projects in more than 30 countries, where nearly 10,000 coaches and over 120,000 players have benefited from training on the LaLiga methodology, which combines on-field work at all levels with instruction on respect and the values of fair play.
The aforementioned values are also evident in LaLiga’s day-to-day work, with the organisation’s foundation leading projects including LaLiga Santander Genuine, Future Fans (Futura Aficion) and the Fair Play Social scheme, all of which seek to repay society for part of all that it has given LaLiga.
The staging of the Kwamahlobo Games in South Africa, the institution’s work alongside the NGO Zerca y Lejos in Cameroon, the collaboration efforts with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in India and the LaLiga School in El Salvador are just a few examples of the work that LaLiga is involved in on the international stage.
Spanish football’s governing body also offers other competitions its know-how in the fight against match-fixing and improving stadium security, areas which have seen LaLiga improve its standing year on year and have earned the competition role-model status amongst leagues throughout the world.
All of the aforementioned endeavours are part of the efforts being overseen by the best league on the planet to improve not only the world’s professional leagues, but also to provide its assistance when it comes to activities carried out across the footballing world relating to the promotion of the game, social responsibility and offering values-based education.