LaLiga Grassroots will take LaLiga’s sports and academic methodology to a new level in order to further strive for sporting excellence in bringing through young players and training coaches both nationally and internationally.
A web platformhas been launched with detailed information on this new initiative, through which interested parties will also be able to access the pre-registration process for the sports programmes set to begin in the summer of 2022 at the ESC Madrid Center.
Madrid, October 14, 2021. – LaLiga has announced the launch of LaLiga Grassroots, in its bid to further advance and improve its bespoke sports and training projects as well as the promotion of LaLiga’s know-how and methodology. This initiative is part of a series of international sports projects that LaLiga has been running since 2015 across multiple markets, and its most salient new feature is this series of programmes which will take place in Spain. These will mainly be held at the ESC Madrid Center, a state-of-the-art, world-beating sports complex.
“LaLiga Grassroots was conceived as a new specialised unit conceived by the Sports Projects team and the International Business and Development team,” explains Juan Florit, head of LaLiga Sports Projects and who will be in charge of the technical and sports side of LaLiga Grassroots. “Our activities will mainly focus on the holistic development of young players, international training programmes for professionals in the sector, and projects to promote and support LaLiga clubs when it comes to their academies and running international tournaments.”
This new project represents a further step in LaLiga’s creation and execution of sports projects, an area through which it has enjoyed great success over the last six seasons. This includes finding positions for nearly 750 Spanish coaches, as well as providing training for more than 20,000 coaches and 175,000 players in the more than 400 projects carried out across 38 countries.
“The work we’ve carried out over the years in training players and coaches internationally has taken things to the next level, not only for those who have worked with LaLiga, but also for the league itself and its clubs,” says Javier Hernandez, Head of Business and International development for the project. “We’re convinced that now, with the creation of LaLiga Grassroots and the new programmes that we’ll be running at the ESC Madrid Center, we’ll be able to create better opportunities for everyone.”
Two big programmes and unique, world-class facilities
LaLiga Grassroots offers a variety of programmes which focus on improving players’ abilities through channelling the power of sport as an educational tool to promote their all-round development. Within the Grassroots project, there are two long-term programmes aimed at young people from all over the world set to take place in Spain and which are the most notable:
LaLiga TalentsandLaLiga Academy.
These programmes are aimed at male and female players between the ages of 12 and 18 years and are oriented towards giving these athletes an all-round training experience, taking care of and supporting their personal development both on and off the pitch. The main difference between both programmes is that LaLiga Talents is centred around players who already work in a high-performance training environment, with the aim of helping them develop and get the most out of their talent to reach the best level attainable, while LaLiga Academy focuses on improving and optimising the abilities of players who want to experience a unique sports and educational programme curated by LaLiga.
There will be short-term and long-term activities included in these programmes such as LaLiga Camps and high-performance training camps for teams, mixed groups and international players. These aim to improve both preparation and development on an individual and collective level.
All programmes in Spain will take place at the ESC Madrid Center, a state-of-the-art complex that will open its doors in the summer of 2022.
The centre has an on-site 400-capacity residence with 24-hour security, an international school equipped with an auditorium, library, laboratory, clinic, as well as several game, rest and study rooms. Likewise, the complex houses two state-of-the-art football pitches and various training areas, an NBA court, gym and a swimming pool. Overall, this makes the centre the ideal place to achieve the synergy between sports training and academic education that LaLiga Grassroots projects seek to achieve.
These facilities will be available to all LaLiga clubs wishing to run training programmes, carry out brand internationalisation projects or have other needs, and they will also have the LaLiga Academy Manager software, created by LaLiga in order to optimise the management and daily operation of academies.
Registration for all these programmes, as well as additional information about them, is now available on the website https://www.laligagrassroots.com/en
Built by the team behind NBA Top Shot, this new experience will give football fans the ability to collect and own some of the most awe-inspiring and iconic in-game Moments from their favourite LaLiga clubsThe new experience will launch on Flow in Summer 2022, and will feature both current and historical Moments from over a decade of play
Madrid, September 2021. Dapper Labs and LaLiga have today announced a partnership to introduce Official Football NFT Collectible Highlights at scale. Created by the team behind NBA Top Shot, this new experience will give fans the opportunity to collect and own some of the most talked-about contemporary and iconic in-game Moments from their favourite teams from over 10 seasons of play. Featuring dynamic video-based Moments from all of LaLiga’s clubs, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla FC, Villarreal CF, Valencia CF, Real Betis, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, RCD Mallorca and many others, the new experience will be available to fans on Flow blockchain starting June 2022.
Fans entering the all-new experience will instantly be immersed in football culture, having the opportunity to buy, collect, and own some of the most notable in-game Moments. Through a dedicated peer-to-peer marketplace, fans will be able to buy or sell parts of their collections with fellow football enthusiasts. Every purchase can be made via credit card through a Dapper wallet to ensure that every transaction is as easy as possible.
“The partnership between LaLiga and Dapper Labs will bring us even closer to our fans worldwide through a new and growing medium, and alongside the industry partner that created the NFT video product for the NBA,” said Javier Tebas, president at LaLiga. “This experience will place football fans all over the world at the very centre of the action, giving them a platform and product that allows them to enjoy and express their passion for LaLiga in a unique way.”
With access to both current Moments and a rich archive of historical Moments, the new experience will also give fans the ability to enjoy the rich heritage of one of the best leagues in the world. Fans will learn about age-old rivalries between teams, find out more about the league’s golden past, and deep dive into the fascinating stories of teams and players with experiences that bridge the past and present.
Though a blockchain-based experience, the product will also give fans a way to be a part of the in-game action. Through a variety of fan activations developed around key tentpole events during the season, fans will be able to enter contests to be in with a chance of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities such as being flown to Barcelona to watch ElClasico, the biggest football game in the world, from a VIP Box at Camp Nou.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with LaLiga to launch the ultimate fan-driven highlights collectible experience that is unlike anything in the space before,” said Caty Tedman, Head of Partnerships for Dapper Labs. “With over 3.5 billion football fans around the globe, the experience’s layered environment has the power to revolutionize how fans connect to the sport of football and how they engage with the teams and players they love, both virtually and in real life. We look forward to working alongside LaLiga, home to some of the best clubs on the planet, to bring this wildly new and dynamic fan-driven experience to football lovers everywhere.”
“As Barcelona’s captain for a decade, I enjoyed some of LaLiga’s greatest moments. I also experienced some of the game’s biggest lows; but in spite of it all, the game would be impossible to play without our fans,” said Carles Puyol, six time LaLiga champion, three-time UEFA Champions League champion, and captain of FC Barcelona from 2004 to 2014. “Fans give us the energy that encourages us not to give up. They help us dig in when we’ve got nothing left and they give us support when we need it. To be part of an experience that brings players one step closer to their biggest fans is exciting and meaningful. I look forward to what this relationship holds.”
Like NBA Top Shot, the new experience is built on the Flow blockchain, developed for consumer experiences at scale. Flow allows fans to trace and verify the authenticity and scarcity of their digital collectibles.
This agreement is also part of the efforts of LaLiga North America – the joint venture between LaLiga and Relevent Sports – which plays an active role in searching for new attractive partners and industries to work with LaLiga.
For more information on the new experience and how to sign up in advance for experience, please visit dapperlabs.com
LaLiga is the first major football league to partner with Socios.com, the leading provider of blockchain solutions for the sports industry and official partner to 60+ global leading sport brands worldwide LaLiga and Socios.com will work together to create new opportunities for the league’s more than 800 million global fans to actively engage with their favorite players and clubs and access unique rewards and once-in-a-lifetime VIP opportunities
Madrid, September 14h, 2021.- LaLiga and Socios.com, the leading provider of blockchain-driven Fan Engagement solutions for the sports and entertainment industry, have announced an agreement that will see the creators of Fan Tokens become Global Fan Engagement Partner of Spain’s top tier football league.
Socios.com and LaLiga will work together to create new opportunities for the league’s more than 800 million global fans to engage actively with the brand through the platform’s cutting-edge blockchain technology solutions.
This partnership will give LaLiga Santander fans the chance to get closer than ever to their heroes, regardless of where in the world they are based, and to access unique rewards such as official products, signed jerseys, free tickets and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Driven by the central belief that transitioning passive fans into active fans is essential to the future of sport, Socios.com is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that leverages blockchain technology to provide the world’s leading sporting organizations with the tools to engage with and monetize their global fanbases.
Since its creation, in 2019, Socios.com has been enhancing Fan Experience across the global sports industry through Fan Tokens, collectible digital assets that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on Socios.com.
Over 40 global leading sport organisations across 20 different countries and seven different sports have launched their official Fan Token on the Socios.com app, home to a growing global community of nearly 1.3M sports fans. The list includes LaLiga Santander clubs FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Valencia CF and Levante UD, as well as other football giants across the globe, Formula 1 teams, esports organisations and mixed martial arts brands, among others.
Fan Tokens have consolidated as one of the fastest growing revenue streams for the sports industry, generating over $200 million in profits for Socios.com’s global network in a little over two years since the first token was released.
The partnership with LaLiga, the first major football league to join the platform, sets a new milestone for Socios.com and strengthens its position in Spain, a strategic country in which the company is about to inaugurate its new offices. The agreement also reasserts the position of Socios.com as the global leaders of blockchain-driven fan engagement solutions for the sports industry.
Alexandre Dreyfus, Founder and CEO of Socios.com, said: “We are very excited and proud to be partnering with LaLiga, one of the biggest brands in global sports, with over 800 million fans around the world, and home to legendary clubs that have helped write the history of football.”
“The LaLiga partnership will allow us to take another step forward in our mission to bring about a new era of global fan engagement, where fans are no longer spectators, but empowered, active participants”.
“It is no coincidence that LaLiga has become the first major European football league to partner with Socios.com. Over the past few years they have earned a reputation for being one of the most innovative brands in sports, leading the way for organisations worldwide in terms of embracing innovation and leveraging new technologies. This partnership is yet another demonstration of their boldness and leadership”.
“At LaLiga we are pleased to partner with Socios.com, one of the global leaders in fan engagement solutions for the sports industry. Thanks to this agreement, all our fans around the world will be able to connect more actively with their favorite players and teams. For us it’s a way of getting closer to them and offering them new experiences”, said Oscar Mayo, Executive Director of LaLiga.
The world’s most iconic club match will now have its own logo and visual identity
Rivalry, strength, passion, technology, innovation, dynamism, entertainment and globality are among this new image’s main attributes
Madrid, 13 September 2021.- LaLiga has created a logo and brand identity for ElClasico, the match that pits FC Barcelona and Real Madrid against each other each season, with the aim of giving one of the most iconic and popular sporting showdowns on the planet a unique and highly recognisable visual identity.
The branding project’s aim is to reflect the DNA of what this legendary encounter symbolises: rivalry, strength, passion, technology, innovation, dynamism, entertainment and globality.
Always at the cutting edge of innovation and entertainment, this new image will be yet another asset in LaLiga’s bid to enhance the brand value of its competition and its clubs, which can be featured at all international events and activations held around this match as part of LaLiga’s internationalisation strategy.
This initiative shows LaLiga to be looking to the future once again, working more closely with clubs to promote the competition and its most iconic matches, including not only ElClasico but also El Gran Derbi, El Derbi de Madrid, El Derbi Vasco, among others.
Watched in every corner of the planet, ElClasico is LaLiga’s blockbuster par excellence that puts life on hold; it is the most watched club match globally. An encounter that everybody watches, that brings everybody together, whether they like football or not, and a cultural touch point that transcends borders.
LaLiga is preparing a major launch of this new visual identity to coincide with the next ElClasico, set to be played in October. It will be implemented across all media outlets and actions that LaLiga rolls out, both nationally and internationally, through promotions, digital and media campaigns, international media activations, press conferences, and international events.
Just last week, LaLiga won the International Creativity Award at this year’s Sports Industry Awards for its unique ElClasico campaign, highlighting its diverse and highly adaptable events in all four corners of the world during the pandemic. The award was also a reflection of LaLiga’s wider work in promoting ElClasico in recent years.
The design of ElClasico’s identity
This is a groundbreaking, young, exciting, football-loving, and visual image that will connect with a global audience and especially among a young demographic. Its style is reminiscent of the digital environments popular among younger audiences and their passion for eSports, TV shows and urban culture. A visual identity that conveys not only the today, but also the tomorrow of a great sporting and entertainment show that brings the world to a standstill for 90 minutes.
ElClasico’s new logo draws its inspiration from the shared emotion that exists between footballers and fans the world over. It is an inclusive brand that does not set a distance between the stars and their supporters, but rather brings them closer together and helps fans feel that they are very much an integral part of the game.
Custom typography has been used to create this new identity, with an energetic style, sharp angles and verticality to express movement, dynamism, and its digital essence.
The symbol that separates Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will replace the usual “vs.” and will be the icon that best represents ElClasico. It represents rivalry, strength, and confrontation, evoking the competitive spirit of both teams.
LaLiga is the first of the top 5 world football leagues to sign a major NFT partnership
It will allow LaLigo to expand the Clubs’ international brands by reaching new fans and creating a new revenue stream
Sorare is a marketplace to trade digital cords from more than 180 football clubs, and has over 500,000 registered users on the platform
Madrid, September 9th 2021. Sorare, the fantasy football platform, has today announced a partnership with Spain’s LaLiga to launch non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for all of its players, creating new revenue streams for LaLiga Clubs via a new category of licenses.
Thanks to this offering, LaLiga fans, collectors and fantasy football players will for the first time be able to freely trade and play with digital cards of players from LaLiga. Sorare’s mission is to build “the game within the game” and to give fans the platform to celebrate, share and own their football passion.
The partnership represents a major milestone for Sorare as it strikes a deal for the first time with one of the biggest leagues in the world, home to world-class football clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal CF, Valencia CF, FC Seville and Real Sociedad, among many others. Sorare plans to partner with every one of the world’s top 20 football leagues by the end of 2022.
The partnership, which covers both LaLiga Santander and LaLiga Smartbank, is a significant development for LaLiga as it moves into the NFT space for the first time, highlighting the global interest in the fast-growing NFT card space which has sold more than $130M in cards this year.
Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, commented:
“At LoLiga we are always looking [or innovative ways to o|fer our [ans new and exciting experiences and to broaden the appeal o[ our competition, the greatest in the world. This partnership with Sorare, the most exciting sports NFT projects today, enables us to reach new audiences globally and gives existing [ons additional ways they can get involved with the players and the cluhs they love.”
Nicolas Julia, CEO and co-founder of Sorare commented:
“NFTs are the [uture o[gIo6aI sports [ondom because they allow [ans to come together and to [eel ownership o[ the sports they love.
“This partnership isn’t just a sign o[ Sorare’sgrowingleadership in the NFT sports space, it is a major signal o[ intent fry the sporting world that it sees Sorare’s unique ability to connect [ans with sports through NFTs as a crucial port o[ their plans [or the [uture.
“LoLigo is one o[ the hest leagues in the world, home to some o[ the most exciting cluhs and[oothollers on earth. We are very proud that they have 6ecome our[irst ever league partnership, and we ore looking [orward to working together in the years ahead.”
Sorare cards are NFTs, meaning each card is unique, scarce, and its ownership can be publicly verifiable via the blockchain. Sorare’s combination of NFT technology with sports cards and a fantasy game is the leading next-gen offering within football, and backed by football legends including Gerard Piqué, Antoine Griezmann and Rio Ferdinand. Through the collecting, owning and trading of limited edition digital collectibles, Sorare has created a unique game experience where users can own their game, build real-world connections and protect and control their assets in a secure space.
Sorare’s next-generation gaming experience will help LaLiga and its clubs to expand their international brands by reaching new audiences of fans, including crypto- enthusiasts in the US and Asia, where Sorare is growing strongly, and fantasy gamers across the globe. The partnership opens up a new revenue stream for LaLiga clubs by creating an entirely new licensing category: NFTs.
The partnership means that Sorare now has the majority of the top 100 football clubs in the world under license, including global clubs such as Liverpool FC, FC Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain FC, and Juventus FC.
