Know how & why La Liga overseas plans could work…

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Much has been made of the La Liga decision to play overseas. As a commercial entity or at least a revenue maximising entity, La Liga is within its rights and scope to ponder this. There also has been legitimate opposition from the fans, players, and clubs in Spain, considering the amount of disruption it could cause to their seasons and overall plans. Despite these valid points, is there at least some scope for it though? Football, whether one likes it or not, has become highly finance-oriented. Money is key in the sport, and all major global sports, which has in turn driven big business interests, mega-wealthy owners, huge transfer fees, and world-class stadium and training facilities. La Liga’s intention to move a game to the USA is fully rooted in this paradigm.

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And the USA itself is a strong choice, given football’s rise in acceptance in the country. At the time of the 1994 World Cup, football was roundly mocked but has since then become a growing sport, and a potential rival to the traditional US sports such as gridiron, basketball, baseball, etc. And with a large and growing Spanish-speaking population in the country, it’s opportune to connect with them. As many Hispanics are originally from central and Latin America, and more recent immigrants may have stronger footballing ties than earlier migrants, it’s understandable why La Liga is opting for this strategy. So, could La Liga’s plan work? Maybe. But there would have to be some key points put in place, to ensure it was not skewed in the favour of some. Some in this case meaning Real Madrid and Barcelona. Yes, they are the two biggest clubs in Spain, and arguably the world. However, they already share much of the pie in Spain, vis a vis TV revenues. Any such attempt to move La Liga away for a game possibly shouldn’t extend their grip in the Spanish game.

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SUBSIDISED TRAVEL

Give club members free travel, or specially chartered flights and accommodation. They could even pay only 20% of flight/accommodation costs, and have free tickets for the games themselves. Spanish football tickets often aren’t expensive, vis a vis English Premier League games. However, to travel to the USA, arrange a visa, and accommodation can be costly. Accordingly, this move has gained some ire in some quarters, due to the aforementioned factors. Fans also have families, jobs, and lives beyond supporting their teams. So going to the US, even for a few days even, could cause unnecessary disruption. Nonetheless, Girona has stated that it may consider its game vs. Barca in Jan 2019 as an early exhibition or example. Girona, like Barca a Catalonian club, is far smaller than Barca (or Real Madrid for that matter) and would welcome the opportunity to grow the club and the brand.

HOLD IT BEFORE THE SEASON

The International Champions Cup (ICC) has been started to try and spread friendly costs, and streamline matches. As clubs often go on pre-season tours, maybe do it in place of one of them.

However, a proper match as it were between Spanish teams could bring in more revenues and still allow overseas fans to watch their beloved teams

PRIZE MONEY

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The winning club, whoever it is, gets a cash bonus, as an incentive.

This could be a one-off payment or even a bye in a cup.

Money is all important in modern football, but if it better re-distribute monies to the smaller clubs, then fine. It would help rebalance the league, at the least.

If clubs like Girona, Eibar, Alaves, and Getafe can receive more funds, and even get big name players, then all the better holistically for the league.

AFRICA AND ASIA ARE ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

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Africa, I feel at least, is the third strongest footballing continent after Europe and South America. This is not in terms of domestic league structures, but participation, and the number of great players produced by the continent. Weah, Essien, Eto’o, Drogba, Kanu, Lauren, the Toure brothers, etc. all stand amongst the very best in their positions and were from Africa. There has not been a top team in club football over the past twenty years or more that has not had a top African player in it. Real Madrid, Barca, to Juve, Bayern, PSG, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United, and Man City, can all lay claim to at least one.

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