Global Fútbol

Sevilla FC are constantly working to boost the value of the club’s brand internationally and, to do so, they keep looking for different ways to stand out beyond Spain’s borders. The latest example of this is an international agreement that has been reached with Gangwon FC, a South Korean club that competes in the K LEAGUE, the country’s top division and one of the most important competitions on the Asian continent.

This strategic alliance will allow Sevilla FC to develop the value of the club’s brand and establish it in South Korea, a country where the club’s first-team squad spent pre-season in 2022 and a country which the club considers to be key in its international expansion strategy. On the other hand, the agreement will give Gangwon FC the chance to receive advice from a club that has created a model called ‘World Club Alliance Program’ and that is willing to share its ‘Innovation Center’ with other teams it isn’t competing with in a sporting sense, as is the case of Gangwon FC.

Since Gangwon FC was founded in 2008, the South Korean club has been striving to reach its full potential. They want to grow in all departments and believe Sevilla FC can help, by passing on know-how, by collaborating on projects such as the development of a youth academy methodology and by sharing the technological tools that the Andalusian club is so proud of, such as the R+D+I project.

Gangwon FC’s alliance with Sevilla FC follows on from a similar collaboration agreement struck with Bengaluru United FC of India, which also helped with the internationalisation of Sevilla FC’s brand. The expectation is that the club will help its partners to scout young talents in their respective countries, to develop a working methodology for their youth academies, to offer sporting and economic advice, and to implement a department of R+D+I applied to football.

The president of Sevilla FC, José María del Nido Carrasco, expressed his satisfaction at reaching this agreement, one he hopes will be very beneficial for the internationalisation of the club. He said: “Within our strategic internationalisation plan, South Korea occupies a prominent place. We already had the pre-season visit of the first team in 2022, when we organised various activities with the K LEAGUE and directly with fans, all of which was very well received. After that, we noticed an increase in interest, from both fans and clubs. South Korea is an exciting country where interest in LALIGA and its top clubs is growing.”

Discussing the partner, the Sevilla FC president pointed to the two-way benefit, stating: “This is a club that can provide us with more brand positioning in South Korea. It’s a club that aspires to grow in all aspects and to be more competitive in all areas, which fits exactly with what Sevilla FC aims to develop through our Innovation Center. We want to share the experience we have accumulated in our more than 130 years of history in one of the most competitive football nations and, above all, we want to offer the knowledge we have acquired in technological innovation, which has made us an international reference point.”

Del Nido Carrasco also stated that Sevilla FC are open to establishing further collaboration agreements with more clubs and international federations. He stated: “We are open to continuing to expand our network of collaboration. In fact, at the end of 2023 there were 25 coaches from the Korea Football Association (KFA) in Seville at our facilities to receive all kinds of training from our staff over 10 days. They attended youth training sessions, learned how to use the different methodologies we have developed, visited our residence for youth players, and more. Our aim is to help all kinds of entities, organisations, clubs, federations, players and coaches. We also have important agreements in the pipeline for the use of technology currently implemented by the K LEAGUE.”

Sevilla FC can also benefit from the experience LALIGA has of working in this region, given that LALIGA itself has a collaboration agreement with the K LEAGUE, which is one of the most important competitions in Asia, while South Korea is a world leader in technology. This agreement was extended two months ago until 2026, and became effective on January 1st, as both parties wanted to continue their collaboration in order to develop players and coaches and in order to advise the South Korean competition on audiovisual production, matters of economic control, eSports, match preparation, academic training, women’s football and the fight against racism and other types of discrimination.