Global Fútbol

Real Betis are continuing with the club’s international expansion. The Andalusian institution has carried out a new sporting project in South Africa, having launched the Real Betis Camp Cape Town in the South African city. This follows on from the opening of a permanent academy that the club already manages in the south of the African continent, with Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe. This new camp will start in May.

In addition, some of the players involved will have the opportunity to travel to Seville for the Inside Betis experience, through which they’ll be able to learn more about Real Betis by taking a peek behind the scenes and by training at the club’s facilities. Real Betis Camp Cape Town is the first of several projects that will be carried out in South Africa and it will host players from the ages of five to 18, who’ll train under the highest standards of global youth football through the Real Betis methodology.

Real Betis have launched this campus in partnership with Athletes Sphere Management, the entity which also manages the Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe, their first academy founded in Africa. It has already been running for three seasons and has more than 150 players.

Ignacio Pinilla, the head of international expansion at the Real Betis Academy, stated: “Among the objectives we are pursuing in this continent, we want to expand our fanbase and try to connect with the young people who have great enthusiasm for the sport.”

Furthermore, speaking about the footballing side of the project, Juan Parra, the sporting director of the Real Betis Academy, pointed out: “Africa has traditionally been considered as a breeding ground for talent that has migrated to European football. In this sense, the establishment of relationships and alliances with local clubs and organisations allows us to discover new talents for Real Betis and promote greater knowledge sharing and experiences for football.”

In this sense, Real Betis are pursuing business development in a continent that boasts an emerging market with high growth potential and great commercial opportunities that can help the club to expand its brand.

Pinilla added: “While it’s true that there are other European leagues that, due to historical ties, have already made greater inroads in the region, there is a great opportunity for Spanish clubs to grow in the continent through the digitalisation that is becoming the norm in this territory.”

Expanding the Real Betis brand in Africa

This South African project is simply the latest of Real Betis’ initiatives in Africa. Pinilla explained: “The camp that we are going to run in the South African city of Paarl, very close to Cape Town, is the first sporting project that our club is going to carry out in the South African country, but the reality is that we already have several projects on the continent. We currently have Real Betis Academy branches in Zimbabwe and Algeria, and we are also going to hold a camp in May in Egypt.”

He continued: “Not only that, but there is also a Zimbabwean club, FC Platinum, which has an alliance with Real Betis and they are continually advised in different facets by staff from our club.”

Real Betis’ primary objective is to promote education, health and development in various African communities through its Foundation. Hence, the inauguration of this centre is a starting point for sharing the club’s values in South Africa and for continuing to expand in this continent. The Betis Academy already has 26 international projects, with branches in the United States, Egypt, Algeria, Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Venezuela and Georgia.

Pinilla highlighted: “Through these sites, we at Real Betis also want to spread and expand our Forever Green programme and its values, working hand in hand with the academies and camps on actions to fight against climate change. We want the players to also be educated on this issue. We have also collaborated on several occasions with LaLiga in countries such as Tanzania to promote football in the region.”

In conclusion, this latest project forms part of a wider strategic plan for the club to increase its business development, to find more revenue streams and to achieve positive brand recognition at the international level.