Global Fútbol

RCD Espanyol are calling for more action to be taken to support social causes. Los Blanquiazules have launched what they’re calling the ‘Superliga Solidaria’ (‘Solidarity Superleague’, in English), encouraging all clubs to take part in this initiative which is all about allocating resources to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society.

All clubs that adopt certain values and responsibilities when it comes to their relationship with the rest of society are clearly people-oriented entities that care about others. With this in mind, RCD Espanyol, showing a very “generous and caring spirit”, want to make the most of the wide reach that football enjoys to touch as many people as possible and to continue developing the club’s more charitable side.

As the club have explained: “We are a community club with a very participative fanbase that is committed to all kinds of causes, including our volunteer corps. In 2022, we managed to collaborate with more than 200 organisations, including the association ‘Es per tu’, through which we sent the official RCD Espanyol bus to Ukraine to distribute clothes and food, while we also brought refugee families to Barcelona.”

At RCD Espanyol, they launched a campaign at the start of the 2022/23 season to donate 5% of the value of each membership card purchased to social causes. With humility, and fully aware of their privileged position in society, they have started 2023 by urging other clubs to showcase the work that they are doing in their communities, with the aim of giving more visibility to all the ways of collaborating with different entities, groups and foundations who work each day to make life a little fairer for those who need the support the most.

The club explained: “In 2023, we wanted to go a step further and create a platform that would give more visibility to our efforts and to those of other clubs or other sporting entities that want to join in. We want to help project a positive image of football’s commitment to these causes. There are no hierarchies or colours here, only football at the service of the community.”

RCD Espanyol’s charitable spirt isn’t only on show on specific days or dates, such as the Christmas period. Rather, the commitment to society is present throughout the year. To start off this new year, they have just produced the 10th edition of their charitable calendar together with the Escola Guimbarda, a school for children with special educational needs. This has become an annual tradition, with players at all levels of the club participating and with all money raised being donated.

The club also organise annual actions such as a blood and tissue bank, with a full day of plasma donation taking place at the RCDE Stadium, while they also hold food collections and will light up the stadium to give further visibility and awareness to certain diseases and causes. For another example, they recently signed an agreement with the ACELL Federation (The Catalan Sports Federation for People with Intellectual Disabilities) to formalise all the actions that they carry out together to promote social inclusion in the world of sport. In addition, RCD Espanyol are in constant contact with various clubs and organisations so that each match at the RCDE Stadium can become an opportunity to lend further visibility to different social causes.

With the launch of the ‘Superliga Solidaria’, RCD Espanyol have reached agreements with the city councils of the provincial capitals of Catalonia and with other important cities, through which they are collaborating with sports entities, groups and foundations. The reception of the project by the organisations has been “very good” and “they always express their gratitude for our involvement, help and commitment”. But, at RCD Espanyol, they feel that they’re the ones who should feel grateful because of the work and causes these groups support every single day.

The Catalan club added: “With the ‘Superliga Solidaria’, we want to show that football transmits values, and it’s the social and charitable values that we want to spread. We want to appeal to the social conscience of clubs and other people so that, with this competition, we can collaborate with more entities and increase the overall amount of aid that is provided.”

These charitable initiatives perfectly reflect the spirit that LaLiga and its clubs have when it comes to transforming society through the positive values of football. Thus, thanks to this ‘Superliga Solidaria’ project, and thanks to the various other initiatives across the world of football, clubs are able demonstrate their social commitment as part of their identity and values.