By Paul Nicholson in Mexico City
May 12 – La Liga has targeted the US as a key development country and has sent Real Madrid goalscoring legend Raul to deliver the partnerships and win American hearts and minds.
Speaking at the Soccerex conference in Mexico City before the FIFA Congress, Raul in his new role as La Liga’s country manager for the US and Mexico, said: “At a business and marketing level there is not much we can bring to the US, but at a coach education level and training young players we can show the way. In Spain our academies have set a benchmark for the rest of the world.”
La Liga has set itself on becoming the best football league brand in the world but it knows it has ground to gain on England’s Premier League that has established a significant commercial lead. So La Liga’s strategy to build their fan base is to work directly on building relationships and contributing on a youth training level in the market.
“We are the best league in the world, we have the best players. On a European level we are making history,” said Raul. But this doesn’t immediately extend to recognition in key markets like the US for La Liga clubs.
“I am working on the brand La Liga, so that people will get to know other Spanish teams like Villareal and Valencia. We are creating relationships at director level. We are doing work with a lot of teams and showing them our training processes.”
One such partnership is with US Soccer which has a membership base of more than 500,000 players and which has introduced a number of La Liga branded training programmes for its members, including travel to Spain.
“I believe that what is missing in the US is idols. They have them in the NFL and NBA but football needs a Michael Jordan, an important player who becomes an idol…we are working to increase player competencies,” said Raul.
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