The need to develop a club’s brand and improve on an international level has become a vital part of modern football.
This, along with the maintenance of traditional identity and the ability of finding new markets worldwide is the aim of several Serie A teams, from AC Milan and Inter, to Juventus and Roma. And this will be the focus of Milan’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jaap Kalma at the Soccerex Global Convention in September.
Speaking alongside former Juventus and Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Saar, Kalma will assess the areas needed to forge and develop a club’s brand, while also maintaining the values of organisations like Milan or Juventus, despite the changes that can happen at a coaching or hierarchical level.
This ties into the importance of brand growth for clubs, especially regarding Serie A, which has been left behind in the battle against the Premier League, but also against the LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus the Bundesliga sides.
Selling Serie A worldwide will be central to the future of the league, as clubs need to improve their own value and revenue in the wake of the Financial Fair Play. To make this work, the clubs’ identities cannot detach from the traditional values intrinsic to the teams, the cities, the fans and the history of each team.
Kalma will provide insight on his experience at AC Milan and will go in depth on the importance of brand values. Members from Roma, Cagliari and Juventus will also be at the convention, as well as directors of the Lega Serie A and those of the EPFL [European Professional Football Leagues], of which the Lega Serie A is a member.
The EPFL will be holding an official meeting to discuss the commercial development of European football, which will be a great opportunity for the Italian market to stay updated with the latest developments.
The presence of Serie A was already important at the Soccerex Asian Forum held in Doha last year, when Director General Marco Brunelli spoke about the Coppa Italia Final being played in the Qatar capital. Another move to further publicise Serie A abroad.
We sat down with the Italian Account Manager, Nicola Gaiti, who underlined the importance of football in a global market.
“Modern day football has become a truly global business,” he said. “In order to be the best today, you cannot just rely solely on being successful in your local market. Internalisation and outward growth are essential if you want to have a long term plan that benefits the club.
“At our global convention, Serie A clubs will have the opportunity to meet other club representatives from all over the world, learn from their best practices and find out about the newest products and services that are available to assist their teams in going that one extra step ahead of everyone else.”
The covention will also see 3000 delegates get together, as well as over 400 club representatives from around the world to talk about the future business possibilities in the world of football, what the developments can be and how a club can both grow in branding and make the most of potential revenue.
The Soccerex Global Convention will take place from 4-6 September in Manchester, for more info visit soccerex.com or contact NicolaG@soccerex.com
