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TUE 16 NOV 2021 | FOOTBALL PROJECTS
CF Fuenlabrada outline the club’s ‘Fuenla 2030’ growth and internationalisation plan
CF Fuenlabrada outline the club’s ‘Fuenla 2030’ growth and internationalisation plan
  • Josele González, the director of the club’s international department, and Jaime Castellets, the director of the business and marketing department, spoke at World Football Summit about how CF Fuenlabrada are working on internationalisation.
  • Overseas projects are beginning in the United States, with scouting events, methodology training for coaches, consultancy work for clubs, academies and universities, and much more.

CF Fuenlabrada are currently in their third season in Spanish football’s second division and the club has the objective of consolidating its position on the pitch, at the same time as amplifying its global growth. Having hired talent across departments, growth is now one of the institution’s main aspirations and the ‘Fuenla 2030’ expansion plans have been launched with this in mind. In order to achieve their internationalisation goals, those at the club have put together a comprehensive plan that is divided into five phases: market research; identification of strategies; agreeing strategic partnerships; holding activities and events; and brand positioning.

At the recent World Football Summit, held at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, Jaime Castellets, the director of the business and marketing department, said: “We want to oversee a great international project and we believe we can achieve this. One of the most important aspects for this international strategy is the fact that we are based in Madrid, which is very important for travel and connections in a strategic sense. That’s a differentiating advantage compared to clubs in other Spanish cities.”

How CF Fuenlabrada separated markets into categories and regions for action

In order to take on this internationalisation process, the club have identified markets and separated them into three categories: strategic, sporting, and action-based. They explained: “Our way of working isn’t based on carrying out an event in one place and then leaving. We want to integrate and form part of the community in each place where we carry out a project.”

The starting point for the CF Fuenlabrada international expansion is the United States, specifically in Miami, Kansas, Dallas and New York, where they will roll out scouting events, where they’ll hold methodology training for coaches, where they’ll offer consultancy work for clubs, academies and universities and where they’ll look for partners to create their own academy.

The USA isn’t the only country where the club presided over by Jonathan Praena will look to expand. Castellets added: “In China and in India we are progressing through contacts to break into these territories. We have identified these countries as strategic markets and we’ll create our strategy over the coming months. We already know how to get into these places and now we want to arrive there and help in such a way that we’ll be considered like anyone else within a period of three to five years.”

During their talk at the summit, which brings together the most influential professionals in the football industry, Josele González, the director of the club’s international department, also addressed the audience. He said: “Brand positioning, which must be the ultimate goal, should intrinsically involve a series of processes that are vital.”

Understanding internationalisation

For González, the first thing that is vital is to understand the market. He said: “I see mistakes that are sometimes made, such as wanting to work the same way in Japan as in China, when the two countries are very different. If there are differences between the culture of the north and the south of Spain, then imagine the differences between two countries.”

González continued: “There’s a need to understand and to explain that a child in India might not want the same as a child from Saudi Arabia. When these initiatives are carried out, most think it’s about making money and that children will pay. In the same way, many hope to make money with a sponsor in China, but what are you doing in China to have this return? There’s a need to carry out groundwork as this is indispensable, although, of course, this takes a lot of time.”

When going out into the world to carry out internationalisation projects, González believes clubs must be adaptable. He added: “It’s not that some countries are better than others, but they can be different. There is a need to adapt. Often, we set out with a plan and want others to work like we do, but that’s a mistake. You need to get to know them and understand what they want and then help them through the tools we have.”

The experience programme to stand out

In terms of activities and events, CF Fuenlabrada have gone above and beyond and they offer unique experiences to children, coaches, club directors and even fans, doing so through a variety of customisable programmes. In their words: “We have programmes for anyone who wants to enjoy a professional football experience.”

The experience programme is based on giving a participant all that they need to fully understand what life inside a professional football club is like, no matter their age and no matter if they want an experience for one day or for a full season. Continuing, the directors explained: “When someone comes to our club to participate in this type of programme, we want the experience to be as complete as possible. We look to offer something extra. We stand out because the experience is real. We have programmes that last just a day if needed, as it’s likely that if they come for a day then they’ll like it and stay for a year.”

The partnerships CF Fuenlabrada strike up aren’t always the same kind, given that the club works with national federations, universities, schools, academies, and clubs. In their words: “We work with anyone who thinks we can be useful to them and who we think can be useful to us.”

Even when it comes to providing training for coaches, the Spanish club found a way to offer something different, since they give training in the areas of methodology, scouting, sporting management and planning. Plus, they make it possible to experience a dressing room from the inside. On this, the directors added: “When you get the coaching license, they don’t offer you this. This February, we plan to have 40 coaches visit from the United States to enjoy an experience with us. They will be embedded in the day-to-day work of the club, at meals, meetings and training sessions, so that they can have a more complete experience and tuition.”

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