Global Fútbol

Football fans in Helsinki have been enjoying a new kind of triathlon – based entirely on the beautiful game. The Football Triathlon x LaLiga event, which took place in Helsinki, gave 20 teams made up of five participants over the age of 18 the chance to compete against each other in traditional five-a-side football matches, table football and the FIFA video game. The objective: to introduce the clubs of LaLiga Santander to a new audience.

Each one of the teams at this Finnish festival of football represented a LaLiga Santander side which proved a stimulating way of sharing some of the facts, trivia and history that each of the clubs playing in the competition have to offer.

“This was LaLiga’s first major event in Finland and the result exceeded all expectations,” explained Gorka Herrero, the LaLiga Global Network delegate in the Nordic Countries. “We set out to create something original and fun, where LaLiga would be a major focal point.”

Each of the teams was able to play between four and six matches in each of the different sections, wearing the colours of one of the 20 teams. The traditional football games were played in an indoor stadium in the morning, before an afternoon session of table football and esports.

For all those taking part, the experience proved a success that will improve perceptions of LaLiga across the country. In addition to the positive feedback from participants, many of whom expressed interest in repeating the project annually, the tournament also created media impact in Finland as BYYRI – a popular Finnish football website – along with the PlayStation F.C. eSports team, covered the event.

The clubs taking part also received significant exposure as a result of the day’s efforts. The various quintets went home that day with a much greater knowledge about the club whose colours they’d competed in.

“Our goal is to grow the Football Triathlon concept into an international phenomenon that will bring joy to football fans around the world. We are very excited and proud of this collaboration tournament with LaLiga and our sponsor PlayStation. We feel really honoured that one of the world's biggest football leagues and video game console developers wanted to collaborate with us”, says Robert Niva, CEO of HILLA Entertainment Oy.

For the winning team, there was also the prize of a trip to Madrid to attend a LaLiga match in person, continuing LaLiga’s strategy to share the excitement of its competition around the world. The two sides in the final were the ones representing RCD Espanyol de Barcelona and Real Madrid. Facing off in a dramatic FIFA match that was shown on a huge screen, those fighting for the Catalan side earned a narrow 3-2 victory to secure the prize.

“Not only did we manage to promote the LaLiga brand, but we also took the opportunity to promote all of the LaLiga Santander clubs,” added Herrero. “By helping fans and participants get to know the clubs that represent us, we can grow collectively.”