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This is a time for the sports industry to be bold, experts urge
This is a time for the sports industry to be bold, experts urge 1240 580 WFS Live

The fact that the world has completed changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic can open up opportunities for the sports industry in terms of implementing changes that directors and commissioners wouldn’t dare consider in normal circumstances. While there may previously have been a fear of the negative feedback that could have come with shaking up certain areas, industry experts believe that this concern no longer exists given that the whole world has been shaken up anyway.

This was the view of the experts who took part in the ‘Sports Post-Covid: What Can Football Learn From Its Counterparts In Times Of Crisis?’ panel during WFS Live powered by Ronaldo. The guests for this panel were Al Guido, President of San Francisco 49ers and chairman of Elevate Sports Ventures, Alejandro Agag, CEO of Extreme E, Arnon de Mello, senior Vice President and managing director at NBA Latin America, and Joe de Sena, CEO and founder of The Spartan Race.

Michael Broughton, an advisor at Acceleration Equity, was the moderator of the panel and he got the conversation rolling. “Innovation needs a catalyst and the catalyst may have come in the most unexpected way,” Broughton said. “Fans may be a little more amenable to seeing things differ to the way they used to be,” he added, referring to the current situation.

Guido echoed that point with a fitting metaphor. He said: “With the NFL and the NBA, you might consider them as sort of ocean tankers. They’re hard to turn around because there is so much maturity in some of these businesses and their sport. Maybe their fans might have had a negative reaction if you’d tried to change something too much, but even that during this period is evolving. Even what players might be used to or what they might have signed up for. Now, you might see a coach who was saying ‘I’d never mic myself up’, but now they might put a mic on to bring fans closer. Because we all understand that we are in the most challenging time in our world.”

Agag followed on. “You have to take this time of the pandemic as an opportunity and you can do many things that, before, people were not ready to do,” he said, going on to give the example of virtual hospitality that is being implemented in Extreme E, the series of off-road races in remote parts of the world that wasn’t planning to have in-attendance fans in any case. As Agag explained: “It’s all about giving premium experiences to the corporate guests or to the fans at home, but they need to feel they’re different and have special access. Maybe one-on-one communication with the drivers, special cameras, special food, special merchandising or even a driving experience in their city with their favourite brands.”

In the NBA, they’re certainly planning to try out new technology and new methods, as De Mello told the WFS Live audience. He said, referring to the resumption of the 2019/20 NBA season, that: “We’re going to be testing a lot of new features. We’re going to have 30 cameras with different angles that nobody has ever seen.”

While many of the innovations might be virtual, De Sena pointed out that in-person events have to be planned for too. Already some Spartan Race events have been held and De Sena reported back on the success of these, explaining that most people were open to coming along and running those races in a slightly different way to normal, with sanitary protocols in place. As De Sena said: “About 30% of the people are afraid and aren’t going to come to a stadium or an event. But, 70% of the people embraced it and followed the new protocols. I didn’t know if our consumers were going to play along. With the ones that showed up to the event, were they going to break all of the rules? By and large, everybody followed exactly the way they were supposed to.”

This panel took place during the fourth day of WFS Live, which is running from Monday July 6th to Friday July 10th. It is still possible to buy a ticket for the final day here, with all net proceeds to be donated to Fundação Fenômenos and the Common Goal Covid-19 Response Fund.

A selection of quotes from ‘Sports Post-COVID: What Can Football Learn From Its Counterparts In Times Of Crisis?’

Al Guido, on thinking outside the box to discover new revenue streams:
“I would say it’s incumbent upon all of us to find new ways to get revenue to come in the books. Things that we might have thought were off the books and couldn’t do and wouldn’t touch? We need to start thinking about the ability to do that. Whether that’s new sponsorship assets that are inside of television broadcasts. Whether that’s new distribution platforms. Whether that’s escape rooms. Whether that’s membership, as I saw what happened with BarçaTV and their membership platform with their fanbase. We’re all going to have to think through what the future of our revenue streams looks like.”

Alejandro Agag, on Fernando Alonso’s return to Formula 1:
“I think it’s great for Formula 1 to get Fernando Alonso back. I think he’s a great champion and he left probably too early. Probably the timing of some of his decisions or choices of teams were not the ideal ones. So, that probably kept him from winning a couple more championships, which I think he would have. I was texting him on WhatsApp and he replied with a funny phrase which will resonate with the NBA. He said ‘Yes, one last dance’.”

Arnon de Mello, senior vice president and managing director at NBA Latin America, on the opportunities for the NBA that the shaken-up time slots present:
“One of our biggest challenges was broadcasting games live in Europe and even parts of Asia or Africa. Now, we’ll have more time slots. Game will start to be played in the US in early afternoon, so we will be able to be on prime time in Europe or Africa, where we usually only came in very late at night or in the early hours of the morning.”

Joe De Sena, on making sure we don’t overlook the value of face-to-face interaction:
“I can’t tell you how many hundred people came around a corner [at a recent race], saw me and just started crying. That they got a chance to live again. I think all of the virtual things and initiatives we’re talking about are great and a requirement, but I think humans need interaction, even if it’s at six feet away. I saw it first hand. Literally, people were tearing up and crying. They’d been locked in their homes for so long and they just felt alive again.”

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Day 3 highlights: Ronaldo, Mata, Popal, Verón and more
Day 3 highlights: Ronaldo, Mata, Popal, Verón and more 1242 565 WFS Live

Day 3 of WFS Live powered by R9 saw former and current football legends take the virtual stage to address both on the field and both the field topics. Rebecca Smith and Khalida Popal discussed the best way for women’s football to tackle Covid-19 and continue its growth path during a panel sponsored by Visa, Juan Sebastián Verón explained how a good education boosted him from the youth teams of Estudiantes to the Chairman’s office in a panel sponsored by Johan Cruyff Institute, whilst Ronaldo and Juan Mata shared their experiences as social activists in a panel sponsored by Santander.

Ronaldo Nazário on how Covid-19 will impact football for good organisations:
“Covid-19 is going to make a big impact on foundations and NGOs because the companies that fund these organisations have suffered a big blow and we know that whenever there is a crisis the first thing they cut is donations. What we have to do as foundations is to find solutions, find ways of proposing new projects. With Fundação Fenômenos we are developing channels and platforms to try to identify where people are suffering most in Brasil and do our best to provide assistance. It’s not what we normally do, but it is what is required. There are a lot of communities in Brasil that have no assistance and we have to provide them with an opportunity to overcome this crisis with dignity.”

Juan Mata on players becoming increasingly involved in social causes
“There are a number of reasons that explain why athletes’ voices are becoming more influential. Social media has become a very important tool for professional footballers and athletes in general, and, as we are seeing with all the young players joining Common Goal lately, players are realising that when you are a footballer you have a very powerful platform. When you state your views, people listen, and a lot of players are starting to use that power to speak up for social causes. I think this is already a trend, and I think that it is going to grow even more in the coming years. More players will realise the power they have to reach people, because in that sense nothing matches the power of sports and football.”

Juan Sebastián Verón (Club Estudiantes) on the need for clubs to ensure their player’s education
“At Estudiantes we use football as a vehicle to educate kids. We receive kids from all types of places, some of them with important needs, and it’s important that we ensure that when they leave they have finished secondary school, which is the minimum needed to get a job. I think that’s what the club has to do, and I think the kids have the right to receive that education. They’re going to invest around 10 years chasing a dream that may never come true. If that happens, I want them to know that the club gave them the chance to finish school and go back home with something. If they get to be players, that will be excellent, but if they don’t make it we want them to have another opportunity in life.”

Tatjana Haenni (Swiss Football Federation) on the need for football organisations to talk less and do more
“If you talk to male players, they are usually super supportive and helpful. If you talk to people in society, they are open to women sports. If you talk to people in the economy they see the benefits as well. It’s developing everywhere, but where we still struggle is in places in which changes could be made immediate and that’s sports organisations. These organisations quite often in my opinion do a bit more talking than actually doing. They could really reinforce the case of women’s sports much quicker and put the right structures in place.”

Toni Ordinas (Lillestrøm Sportsklubb), on how Bepro is revolutionising data analysis in football
“During more than 20 years I had the feeling that I just watched the matches, didn’t analyze the matches. With Bepro this has changed. For the first time I have the chance to see what happens on the pitch, what players do and how they interact. In youth football it’s important that we not just look at the physical parameters but also the fundamentals, this is the most important thing when you are developing a player.”

Mic Conetta (Arsenal FC) on using data to build fan engagement
“Clubs have to balance the amount of information that is available to them and really focus on what part of that information is going to drive and build out that fan experience and nurture and develop the relationship with the fans, because you can go down a lot of rabbit holes chasing a lot of data that won’t deliver much value back to either the club or the relationship with the fans.”

Iván Codina (LaLiga), on how LaLiga kept its fans engaged during the Covid-19 lockdown  
“At the beginning our main focus was definitely to show our commitment with the fight against Covid-19, specially with the dramatic situation that we had in Spain. That was our main focus. After that we were also able to provide content around the protocols for clubs to resume training and the restart of competitions, and also on all the initiatives that our clubs carried out around the restart of LaLiga.”

Ale Xavier (Desimpedidos) on how Covid-19 is forcing media companies to reinvent themselves 
“In the pandemic, more than ever, we need to reinvent ourselves, produce different content related to sports and leverage tools that already existed but we didn’t know how to use. We also need to make the best use of all available platforms.”

Dani Alves (Brasil National Team) on the need to come together to make real impact
“Individual voices don’t make much of an impact. They need to be together and in different parts of the world. All lives matter. We are in 2020 debating about the same things and haven’t evolved yet. We have to position ourselves as humans and not as football players or a sports athlete in general.”

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Experts call for women’s football to receive more investment during the Covid-19 crisis
Experts call for women’s football to receive more investment during the Covid-19 crisis 1237 588 WFS Live

While the coronavirus crisis has impacted sport at all levels, the effects on women’s football have been especially severe and this is why industry experts have called for there to be even more investment in the women’s game than in the men’s game at this time. Given the weaker fundamental structures of women’s football, equal investment wouldn’t even be enough. Instead, the argument is that there’s a need for the authorities to put greater resources into women’s sport.

This was one of the main talking points during the ‘Women’s Sport: The Necessary Steps For A Progressive Future’ panel during WFS Live powered by Ronaldo, which was moderated by Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud, senior legal counsel at FIFPro. It had Tatjana Haenni, director of women’s football at the Swiss Football Association, Bex Smith, global director of the women’s game at COPA90, Khalida Popal, founder and director of the Girl Power Organisation, and Jorge Garbajosa, president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, as guests.

As Gómez Bruinewoud explained: “At FIFPro, we have been studying women’s football in general, but also we’ve put a little bit more interest on the effects of COVID-19 on women’s football. Of course, as everyone who is interested in football in general and in women’s football in particular, we were really really worried about what would happen. We did some research and what we’re encouraging and suggesting is that actually, in this moment, it’s not enough to say ‘ok, we’ll invest the same in women’s football’, which is not even the case by far anywhere. It should be even more! They need extra support because the structures are weak and the basis is still not there.”

In certain countries, solid structures are in place and Smith raised the positive example of the DFB, the German federation. She said: “I think the structures need to be in the right place. If you have the right structures then a great example of that is what the DFB did with the solidarity fund that the top four clubs then distributed and it actually went to women’s football because that was the equitable thing to do.”

Such a positive example is rare, though, and the panelists agreed with the need for financial backing of women’s sport at this time. “To really convince the last people who are still not seeing the opportunity and the potential, we need some money coming into women’s football and you can actually make a business case, but you need a decent plan,” said Haenni.

It’s not only about financially supporting women’s sport during the times of COVID-19. It’s about doing so at all times. Encouragingly, Garbajosa revealed that the Spanish Basketball Federation were thinking about this issue even before the pandemic and they realised that there was a need to not just fund women’s basketball equally, but to actually allocate a little more to the women’s game.

“We are investing a little bit more in women’s basketball than in men’s basketball,” Garbajosa told the WFS Live audience. “In terms of the commitment of the men’s basketball players with the women, here in Spain in our federation it is 100 percent. When they get a bonus, the bonuses for the men and the women are completely equal. The money that they get for every day that they practice or play games is completely equal also. It’s a matter of being fair because the effort they show on the court every day is the same so they have to get the same from our federation.”

Ultimately, having more women in leading roles will help to bring about the positive changes that are needed and this was another takeaway that the panelists agreed upon. “I think it’s very important to create more job opportunities and educational opportunities for women to gain the skills to be more involved in developing the women’s game, as we need more women,” Popal concluded.

This panel took place during the third day of WFS Live, which is running from Monday July 6th to Friday July 10th. It is still possible to buy a ticket here, with all net proceeds to be donated to Fundação Fenômenos and the Common Goal COVID-19 Response Fund.

Quotes from the ‘Women’s Sport: The Necessary Steps For A Progressive Future’ panel

Tatjana Haenni, on the business case for women’s football:
“I think women’s football is a business case. I think it’s the biggest growth opportunity in terms of participation, sponsorships, partnerships, media partnerships. If you don’t have a proper business plan and investment behind then you just don’t get the results as quickly as you can. If I look at the FIFA Women’s World Cup as an example. It still doesn’t have its own sponsorship packages. It’s not unbundled as far as I know. That might have reasons for it because maybe the contracts are so long that they can’t unbundle it. But, I haven’t really seen a plan. Whereas, at the UEFA level, you see that there are specific sponsors for the Women’s Euros. So, there is the momentum for a commercial business case for women’s football.”

Bex Smith, on the media’s role in setting and defining value:
“Actually, media has an even bigger role to play than just giving visibility. I think that just in the way how media divides the time that women get and men get, that puts a value on it. [It suggests] that men are actually worth more and valued more and that people should then invest more in the men’s side of the game.”

Khalida Popal, on unhelpful comparisons between women’s and men’s football:
“Media has a huge impact on women’s football. It helps women’s football a lot, but we have to also understand that the way some media communicate is wrong. We have to stop comparing women’s football and men’s football. Women’s football is a beautiful product. We have to communicate it and we have to sell the story differently. Most of the media channels are making the mistake of comparing women’s football. That’s why we’re getting hurt in terms of sponsorship deals, in so many ways and also getting fans.”

Jorge Garbajosa, on investing in women’s sport for the right reasons:
“Sometimes, from the men’s point of view, the investment in women’s sport is like a kind of charity. No, it’s not a charity. It’s a strategic pillar of the development, at least in Spain, of our sport. Here, there’s no difference between men or women. Our goal is to develop our sport and one of the main pillars is women’s basketball as we try to reach our goals.”

Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud, on how some women footballers are more political in the media:
“We’re seeing in women’s football lots of very highly educated women that have a lot to say and probably that’s also connected to how they’re expressing themselves in the media, how they put through strong messages, how they’re a little bit more political if you want to describe it in a word maybe. I think it was, I don’t know if surprising, but something to highlight and pay attention to if we looked at the awards of The Best of FIFA, where Messi won The Best for the male players and Megan Rapinoe for the women players. Then, you looked at their speeches. Without needing to compare them, you see how different they were. Rapinoe was really giving a political stand, whereas Messi was not and was giving more of a personal speech.”

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Day 2 Highlights: Asian football, investments, gaming, data and more!
Day 2 Highlights: Asian football, investments, gaming, data and more! 1239 567 WFS Live

Day 2 of WFS Live powered by R9 saw international leading experts engage in fruitful discussions around a wide variety of topics spanning from Asia’s journey te become a global football powerhouse to how Covid-19 will impact investment flows and reshape sponsoring strategies, the need for all sports to have a gaming strategy or the increasingly crucial role of data in all areas of the industry. Here are some of the main highlights:

Assia Grazioli-Venier (Muse Capital and Juventus), on clubs realising they truly are lifestyle brands:
“I think teams need to realise that they truly are a lifestyle brand. Ten years ago, or longer than that, if you said that teams were selling merchandise and selling mugs and pins then you would have said that was crazy. Now, it’s full speed ahead. It’s a strong source of revenue. So, there are still a lot of new opportunities that we can explore.”

George Pyne (Bruin Capital) on why sports will continue to be a great investment:
“Over the long run, sports is going to be a great investment. Long term, there’s nothing like sports. Sports represent who you are and what you stand for and your values. So, there’s nothing like it. Sports brings people together during difficult times for positive outcomes. So, that’s an incredible outcome in a world that is going to be more fragmented from a media standpoint. Sports is one of the few things that you can invest behind that gets you big and passionate audiences.”

The

Eelco van der Noll (AB InBev), on sponsors demanding more access to content:
“The whole media rights is going to be reset, not only because of new players coming on the scene, like streaming platforms or social media platforms, but also because sponsors like us are demaning more access to content that historically has been reserved or protected by broadcasters. When we work with the likes of LaLiga or the Premier League, as sponsors we expect more access to content. I think that was already in process, but it is being accelerated by this pandemic.”

Ralf Reichert (ESL Gaming), on why every sport needs a gaming strategy:
“All sports need a gaming strategy. It needs to be very varied from the center of what they’re doing. It could be archery, it could be golf, it could be football, but every sport needs a game. Everyone who went to this (the Covid-19 lockdown) prepared had a good outcome. Most of the racing stuff went to online competitions pretty fast… Gaming was the big winner of this and eSports is kind of the logical follower.”

Ashraf Adam (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium) on the inefficient nature of stadiums:
“Stadiums in nature are inefficient because they cost a lot of money to build maintain and operate. We need to offer activities around them and we’re looking at renewables. What was seen as radical before is now possible.”

Esteban Granero (Olocip), on the crucial role of data in football:
“I think data is part of the daily life of football clubs. I also think that we still have a long path ahead, specially in terms of education. I think that, from a conceptual perspective, it’s important that clubs have professionals capable of understanding the potential of data. Not only to know what sort of data is available, but also how to process it in order for the team to benefit the most.”

Monica Esperidião (Women Experience Sports) on the need to think of women’s football as a business:
“We have to think about women’s football as a business. And we need more people with an interest in women’s football in organizations, clubs, everywhere.”

Mauro Silva (Paulista Football Federation) on the need to promote clubs in foreign markets: 
“As we do not sell our international TV rights, it is difficult to promote our clubs in the entire world. We are stuck, without visibility. This process took place in Spain, it transformed all Spanish football and can also transform Brazilian football.”
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Leading investors remain confident: “Over the long run, sports is going to be a great investment”
Leading investors remain confident: “Over the long run, sports is going to be a great investment” 1236 575 WFS Live

All areas of the sports industry have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and this includes the investment in sporting businesses. While there may be disruption in the short term, several leading investors believe that the industry will continue to provide excellent opportunities over the long term.

This was the view of the three panellists who took part in the ‘Aftermath Of Investments In Sports’ discussion during WFS Live, Powered by Ronaldo. Taking part in that virtual round table were George Pyne, CEO and founder of Bruin Capital, Assia Grazioli-Venier, founding partner of Muse Capital and a Juventus board member, and Andrea Radrizzani, chairman and founder of Aser Ventures.

They concurred that the passion and emotion inherent in sports means that the industry will be in good health once the Covid-19 pandemic is over. “Over the long run, sports is going to be a great investment” Pyne stated. “Long term, there’s nothing like sports. Sports represent who you are and what you stand for and your values. So, there’s nothing like it. Sports brings people together during difficult times for positive outcomes. So, that’s an incredible outcome in a world that is going to be more fragmented from a media standpoint. Sports is one of the few things that you can invest behind that gets you big and passionate audiences.”

“Long term, there’s nothing like sports. Sports represent who you are and what you stand for and your values. So, there’s nothing like it.” – George Pyne, CEO & Founder – Bruin Capital

That said, Pyne did admit that the short-term outlook is less certain. He went on: “In the long term I think sports is a great play. In the short term it’ll be a little choppy, but in the short term it provides real opportunity. So, I think you’re going to see more and more people look to invest in the sports business for those reasons.”

Grazioli-Venier agreed that there is a lot to be positive about when looking a decade into the future. “I am long-term investor. I look seven to 10 years ahead. I’ve always done that since I was a child. I’m the opposite of living in the moment. For me, I look seven to 10 years ahead and I see teams becoming true lifestyle brands, not just communicating and engaging with the fans on the pitch, but working with them across the board in the other areas of their lives. That’s why I think you have to look at investment opportunities outside of the core sports space.”

Radrizzani, meanwhile, joked about how he’d never had so many people return his calls as he has experienced in recent months, expressing his optimism that there will be good opportunities in the sports industry for a long time to come.

This panel took place during the second day of WFS Live, which is running from Monday July 6th to Friday July 10th. It is still possible to buy a ticket here, with all net proceeds to be donated to Fundação Fenômenos and the Common Goal Covid-19 Response Fund.

Quotes from the ‘Aftermath Of Investments In Sports’:
  • George Pyne on what he looks for in an investment opportunity:

“You’re asking is the strategy good or is the jockey. We believe that you can have the best ideas, but without the right management you can’t go anywhere. To me, you’ve got to have the right management team and the strategy. You’d like to get both. But, if I had to pick between one and two then I’d rather back the people because, even if the people are going down the wrong road, eventually they’re going to find the right road. So, of the two, I believe in people over strategy, but I’d like to find good strategy and good people.”

  • Assia Grazioli-Venier, on the current capital flow:

“There is capital flowing around. It surprised me as well to be honest, because we all operated on the worst-case assumptions during the first three months of Covid and that’s how we prepare for the future. I think all of us on this panel are used to doing that. But, I was very very surprised at how much capital is flowing. It’s more important now than ever that, because it’s not as much capital, that the capital is value-add and that you really choose your partners wisely.”

  • Assia Grazioli-Venier on teams and franchises further embracing non-gameday revenue streams:

“I think teams have to start thinking again and not just on the pitch. They need to realise that they truly are a lifestyle brand. Ten years ago, or longer than that, if you said that teams were selling merchandise and selling mugs and pins then you would have said that was crazy. Now, it’s full speed ahead. It’s a strong source of revenue. So, there are still a lot of new opportunities that we can explore.”

  • Andrea Radrizzani, on the appetite for investment he has come across in the past few months:

“I’ve been trying to put together finance in football leagues for the last eight years and I was always very close, but with no luck to conclude any deal. But, the last four months, I think I’ve never seen [so many people] call me back from New York or London. We’re working on different opportunities. Overall, I think it’s a great chance for leagues to involve different management and more professional management and inject capital that can close a short period of need, but at the same time regenerate and invigorate and completely restructure the business case.”

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Day 1 Highlights: Tebas, Sir Martin Sorrell, Desiree Bellia, Butragueño and more
Day 1 Highlights: Tebas, Sir Martin Sorrell, Desiree Bellia, Butragueño and more 1238 583 WFS Live

The first ever edition of WFS Live kicked off today with seven panels featuring top-notch leaders from properties such as LaLiga, FIFA or Real Madrid and companies such as S4 Capital or Eleven Sports. Speakers discussed deeply around the impact of Covid-19 on different areas of the sport and the industry such as European competitions, women’s football, media rights, the transfer market or player’s salaries. Here are some of the main highlights of Day 1:

Javier Tebas (LaLiga), on Covid-19 and the transfer market

“There will be some transfers, but those which each club can manage economically. But big signings paid in money, we’re not going to see that. One of 100 million euros is impossible. And those above 50 million euros, we’ll be able to count on the fingers of your hands and mine.”

Ornella D. Bellia (FIFA) on the lessons learned from Covid-19

“One of the lessons of Covid-19 is that more women leadership positions are needed to help deal with crisis situations. If you look at the countries with some of the best Covid-19 responses, they are countries lead by women. If you look at Germany, but also New Zealand, Iceland… These countries stood out for their prompt, efficient and effective response tu the crisis.”

Ebru Koksal (Women in Football) on the lack of support mechanisms for women in the industry

“I didn’t have a good support mechanism, I didn’t have a mentor, I didn’t have another women in the Board of Directors, I didn’t have anyone to got to, I was all alone. It’s so difficult to survive in that environment because everyone is trying to crush you. It’s very hard to survive unless you have the support mechanisms, but also equally important is having self awareness in your leadership journey.”

Magda Pozzo (Udinese & Watford), on women thriving in innovative areas of the business

“We need to do more as women, we need to create a movement, but I think it’s just a natural development of the business. I think we’re seeing a change with so many innovative areas of the business growing. Areas in which women are very good, so it’s going to come very natural. I’m very positive and very optimistic about that.”

Sir Martin Sorrell (S4 Capital) on the effects of Covid-19 on football

“In my view there are too many football clubs, they have to be consolidated. Players are probably over-remunerated, they will have to be remunerated in different ways. The leagues are going to have to be run more efficiently and professionally because the competition is going to be huge.”

Paul Barber (Brighton & Hove Albion) on Covid-19 being a wake-up call for the football industry

“One of the problems for some years is that clubs have been living beyond their means, they’ve been spending more money than they’ve been bringing in and relying on either player sales to get out of trouble at the end of each season or an uplift in TV or sponsorship income. I think that perhaps this is a wake-up call for all of us to manage our business more prudently that we’ve done in the past. We’re all guilty at some point of just stretching that little bit too far.”

Emilio Butragueño (Real Madrid) on the lessons learned from Covid-19

“The first lesson is that what seems imposible is possible, everything can change overnight. The second is our ability to overcome difficulties. We’ve been able to comeback and we should be very proud. The third lesson is that we have to be united. When we are united, we win. I think these are the three lessons of this period.”

Luigi de Laurentiis (SSC Bari) on the impact of Covid-19 on player salaries

“Salaries will probably be going down around 20-25 percent, which would help. I think overall if we’re talking about big players they will keep their value, but definitely in the shorter period we’re definitely going to see some minor numbers in that department. So yes, I think salaries and transfers will be affected for now.”

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Javier Tebas: “Within three seasons, football will be back to what it was”
Javier Tebas: “Within three seasons, football will be back to what it was” 1349 639 WFS Live

The coronavirus pandemic has completely shaken up the football industry, with some leagues having to be cancelled and with others only returning without fans. LaLiga falls into the latter category, having returned on June 11th to complete the final 11 rounds of the campaign behind closed doors.

There have been significant financial losses for those involved in Spanish football, but LaLiga president Javier Tebas does not believe that there will be serious long-term effects from Covid-19, assuming a vaccine can be found and distributed. Speaking on the opening day of WFS Live, Powered by Ronaldo, Tebas mapped out a timeline for football’s gradual return to complete normality.

“I think it will depend on the autonomous communities,” he said when asked when we should expect fans back in Spanish stadiums by interviewer Alfredo Matilla of Diario AS. “We’ll see if it happens at the end of this season or at the start of next season. It’ll be something awkward and in percentages. I think 30% of the stadium’s capacity is the maximum that there will be. And it’ll be awkward because there will be a need to have people entering early and they’ll need to be told where to sit and at what hour they can go.”

Despite the inconveniences that will come with the matchday experience in times of Covid-19, Tebas still expects supporters will want to go. He said: “It will be more uncomfortable to go to matches. But, I think that many fans will go at this 30% level to see their team, even with this awkwardness. Until we have a vaccine that allows us to all go together without any problems.”

Once a vaccine is ready, Tebas is convinced that football can completely return to normal without lingering aftereffects from the crisis. On that, he told the WFS Live audience: “I think that football will return to what football was. Once we find a vaccine, maybe then it’ll take another year. But, it will go back to what it was, with fans in the stadiums, with the stadiums full, with the passion for football, with the same audiovisual broadcasts. The economic values will once again be where they were. It won’t change a lot. It’ll change what we’re doing right now, but we’ll return to what we were before and I have no doubt about that. There won’t be an economic shrinking within three years. I’m convinced that within three seasons, or maybe a little less in my opinion, that we’ll be back in the kind of situation that we had been in.”

Despite his optimism for the long-term health of the football industry, Tebas does believe the 2020 summer transfer window will be quite different to those of previous years. The LaLiga president stated: “There will be some transfers, but those which each club can manage economically. But, big signings paid in money, we’re not going to see that. One of 100 million euros is impossible. And those above 50 million euros, we’ll be able to count on the fingers of your hands and mine.”

Tebas spoke on the opening day of WFS Live, which is running from Monday July 6th to Friday July 10th. It is still possible to buy a ticket here, with all net proceeds to be donated to Fundação Fenômenos and the Common Goal Covid-19 Response Fund.

A selection of Tebas’ quotes from his WFS Live panel
  • On how LaLiga’s audiovisual rights are worth the same as before to broadcasters:

“I believe that the audiovisual value won’t be affected immediately. Everyone is saying there’s a need to reduce the fees and what is being earned, but in my opinion the audiovisual and entertainment sector is one of those that has come out reinforced from this crisis. If we look at Netflix or HBO, these companies have seen their subscriber numbers go up a lot. What can be affected is the money that consumers have, but in general I don’t see there being a major effect that can then affect us.”

  •  On the potential damage had the season been cancelled like in France:

“Only up to June 30th of the 2019/20 season, it would have to been something over 1,000 million euros or 1,100 million euros in losses, also counting what teams would have lost in the Champions League and everything. By no longer bringing in revenues, it would have generated a problem in terms of losses because we’re not a sector where the profit margins are very large.”

  • On the need for economic control measures to be maintained or perhaps made stricter:

“In Europe there has been an important debate that we’ve been involved in about UEFA’s economic control, where some big clubs wanted things to be laxer. We and the Bundesliga insisted that it can’t become laxer. Quite the opposite. There’s still a need to be more rigorous so that there isn’t a major difference between the revenues you bring in, which have gone down because of COVID, and the spending, especially that on wages and others you have in the club.”

  •  On coronavirus’ effect on the European Super League project:

“What this league has shown us, especially for UEFA, is that strong national leagues together can organize the calendar. Together we’ve tried to ensure the audiovisual rights don’t lose value. We’ve realized that together we can do things a lot better. That UEFA and the big clubs should not go on their own. I think that has weakened the Super League project quite a lot because many clubs have realized that it was very important to maintain their national market and to save it during this situation.”

  • On whether he’d prefer Xavi or Neymar to return to Barcelona:

“For Messi to stay at Barcelona.”

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WFS Live kicks off with 150+ speakers and 3,000 attendees
WFS Live kicks off with 150+ speakers and 3,000 attendees 1417 642 WFS Live

Over 150 top-notch speakers will be taking the virtual stage from today, July 6th, until Friday, July 10th, at the first ever edition of WFS Live, a global online event organised by World Football Summit and Ronaldo Nazário that will gather football’s major stakeholders to discuss the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, S4 Capital Executive Chairman Sir Martin Sorrell, LaLiga President Javier Tebas, Real Valladolid President Ronaldo Nazário, ASER Ventures Chairman Andrea Radrizzani, FIFA Referee’s Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina, Secretrary of the Board of Directors of FC Barcelona Marta Plana, Spartan Race Founder Joe de Sena and football legends such as Vicente del Bosque, Iker Casillas, Didier Drogba, Kristine Lilly, Juan Sebastián Verón or David Villa are just a few of the names included in the stellar lineup.

This online event, in which attendees will be able to engage and interact with speakers through group discussions, live polls and one-on-one video-calls, will gather 450 clubs, leagues and federations, 800+ companies and 3,000 attendees from 120 different countries.

The Conference Porgramme includes all the major topics affecting the sports fraternity, but there will be a special focus on the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic across the different sectors of the industry as well as the opportunities that will arise in the aftermath of the crisis.

All net proceeds to be donated

Sir Martin Sorrell, Magda Pozzo (Udinese Calcio), Paul Barber (Brighton & Hove Albion), Emilio Butragueño (Real Madrid) or Juliano Belletti (FC Barcelona) will be other top speakers taking the stage on the first day.

Apart from kicking off a new beginning for football after the pause forced by Covid-19, WFS Live also aims to help fight the devastating effects that the pandemic has caused on vulnerable communities around the world. That’s why all net proceeds will be donated to Common Goal, charity platform founded by footballer Juan Mata and Fundação Fenômenos, founded by Ronaldo Nazário.

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10 reasons why you can’t miss football’s biggest global gathering
10 reasons why you can’t miss football’s biggest global gathering 2048 1365 WFS Live

WFS Live is only a week away. The global online event that will gather top industry leaders across the globe to discuss the key issues affecting the sport and the business of football will kick off on Monday, July 6th with around 3,000 industry professionals tuning-in from their homes and offices all over the world.

If you’re still doubting whether or not to attend, here are 10 reasons that should help you make up your mind:

1. Hear from a unique speaker lineup featuring 100+ top industry leaders such as:

– Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
– Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital
– Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga
– Ronaldo Nazario, President of Real Valladolid
– Iker Casillas, World Champions (2010)
– Didier Drogba, Football Legend

 

2. Enjoy unmatchable interaction opportunities

Don’t just listen to the speakers, engage with them through:

  • Live questions
  • Polls
  • Group chats 

3. Participate in 30+ live panels covering the most relevant topics such as:

  • The aftermath of Covid-19
  • The future of sponsorships in sports
  • The growth of the women’s game
  • Stadium management in a post-pandemic world
  • Athletes becoming conscious activists
    And much more!

4. Globalise your network by accessing our list of attendees

Around 3,000 industry professionals from around the world will be participating at this truly global gathering.

5. Connect with 100+ global leading brands and properties such as:

6. Maximise your time using our AI-driven matchmaking software

Make sure you connect with your targeted stakeholders and arrange one-on-one meetings in advance.

7. Accelerate your business opportunities

Generate a full database of potential leads.

8. Boost your ROI

By cutting travel and accommodation costs.

9. Meet new brands and exciting startups at the WFS Live Virtual Expo Area

Academic institutions, federations, media, streaming platforms, techies and much more!

10. Help tackle the effects of Covid-19 on vulnerable communities

All net proceeds generated by WFS Live will be donated to Common Goal and Fundação Fenômenos.

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WFS StartCup: These are the 16 startups pitching at WFS Live
WFS StartCup: These are the 16 startups pitching at WFS Live 2047 1039 WFS Live

World Football Summit and the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) have announced the 16 startups selected by the WFS StartCup jury to participate at WFS Live powered by R9. These startups will have the opportunity to pitch their solutions to the global football industry in the online event that will gather 100+ top speakers and nearly 3,000 industry professionals from all over the world from July 6th to 10th.

The StartCup session will take place on Thursday July 9th at 5.00 PM (CEST). The jury will then decide the Top 8 startups that make it to the final stage, which will take place at the next WFS online summit.

The 16 selected startups come from 10 different countries (Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, United Stated and United Kingdom) and offer a wide range of solutions in different fields, although mostly focused on Player & Team Performance and Fan Engagement. Half of them use AI-driven technology.

16 shortlisted startups:

– 4D Sight: AI and cloud-based virtual ad insertion in sports and esports. It creates intrinsic, audience-friendly, targeted ads for great brand sentiment.

– ACE Applied Cognitive Engineering Ltd. / The Football IntelliGym: Improves footballers’ performance by boosting players’ decision-making skills. It provides easy-to-use training software that is scientifically proven to improve actual on-field players’ performance by 20-40% by training an hour a week.

– AiScout: Has developed an Amateur Talent Identification platform, which is using AI, Machine Learning, Data Analytics & in-app Biomechanics, Psychometric & Cognitive Analysis, to automate the Amateur Talent Identification, scouting & trial process.

– Armony Ltd: Claims to be the world’s first, patent-pending, wireless communication system made specifically for the use of soccer teams. This system creates a direct connection between coaches and their players, simultaneously transmitting coaches’ instructions and eliminating the need for coaches to yell to their players.

– BBox Sports: A startup focused on fan engagement. BBox Sports have created an engagement tool that offers real data about real fans. BBox allows sports teams to really know their fans and engage with them in a whole new level through Augmented Reality.

– Beyond Sports BV: Transforms positional tracking data into fully immersive and animated 3D simulations in 16 milliseconds, serving player development, match analysis, broadcasting and multi platform end consumer access across multiple sports.

– Fanisko: It offers a B2B platform & solution that helps sports organizations to: 1) Identify high value fans through data driven campaigns, 2) Engage wherever they are and whatever they use, 3) Retain through Gamification, AR, & VR and 4) Monetize through sponsor activations.

– IDOVEN: Remote digital sports cardiology based on Artificial Intelligence. With the aim of early detection of diseases such as myocardial infarction, sudden death and other heart problems in people and athletes of any level.

– Imagine AR Inc: An industry leader for an augmented reality platform for sports and live events. Its platform can synergistically engage fans in immersive memorable experiences to drive a deeper engagement and create new revenue sources.

– Immersiv.io: A startup working in the field of augmented reality to enhance the fan experience for sports and esports. They rely on the latest innovations (like machine learning, computer vision, real-time data) to design new ways for teams and leagues to engage their audience by sharing immersive and interactive experiences with their fans.

– iSPORTiSTiCS: This company processes, formats and analyze sports content, using technologies based on AI and ML to simplify, enhance and amplify deliveries on the way from the crude content and distributors / audience, increasing all people interactivity and engagement.

– Olocip: Pioneering international company specialised in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the business world and professional sports.

– Pico – Get Personal: A SportsTech startup with a personalized fan communication platform, powered by AI. Pico transforms engagement across digital & social channels into high-converting fan experiences that support true business objectives. Pico drives engaged, anonymous online fans into 1st party systems with actionable data via personalization at scale.

– Seyu – Together for victory!: An easy to implement, 150+ events proven, AI assisted solution which is using sport industry partners’ already existing IT infrastructure to allow fans around the world, through a moderated channel, to post their photos on to the LED boards and other screens in the stadiums on matchdays, and share them instantly on social media in branded frames.

– Sponix Tech: A technology company that provides solutions and services which helps broadcasters, TV channels and advertisers increase viewers and enhance fan experience. Their end-to-end creative service covers the entire video production process, from developing an initial concept, through to offering a full service of pre-production, filming and post-production.

– Sport Buff: An innovative fan-driven company that truly combines sports broadcast, digital/ social fan engagement and live sports datacasts to create a truly unique business and product, delivering the best-in-class next generation of sports fan viewing, engagement and gamification, powered by AI and Machine Learning. 

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